Imagine
by IncessantOblivion
Summary: It had been six years since Sasuke had left and Sakura's feelings for him had vanished...or so she thought until he suddenly reappeared in her life and changed everything.
1. Sake and Sasuke

**A/N: Just so you know, I wrote this fic three years ago when I was 16. Trust me, I cringe every time I read it. I've been tempted over and over to remove it, but there are actually a few people who enjoy reading it so I've left it on for them. So when you start reading it and think "Oh my God, how juvenile", just cut me a bit of slack and realize that my writing HAS improved over the past three years (I think so, anyway). Thanks :)**

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**One: Sake and Sasuke**

Sakura clumsily stumbled through the front door of her apartment after spending at least a minute fumbling with her keys, a testament to how tired she really was. She'd been at the hospital for 18 hours before Tsunade made her go home. Sakura had complained, claiming she was perfectly fine, but Tsunade was adamant, saying she was not only risking her health, but the health of her patients. They needed a medic who was fully alert, not trying to wake herself up by downing as much caffeine as she could get her hands on. She had had a point there. Sakura couldn't stand the thought of being a risk of any sort to her patients.

But really, all she'd wanted was the distraction. It was one of _those_ days. Most days were perfectly normal, as normal as a jounin ninja's life could be, anyway. But some days something, anything, however small it was, sparked memories…memories from when they were all together, before _he_ left. Nothing had been the same since he'd left. And then Naruto had gone. Even though he intended on coming back, it had been more than she could bear at the time. Only her intense training had kept her functional…somewhat. She didn't let herself remember anything from those years other than her training. But she remembered she had been as emotionally distant as _him_ (which is no mean feat). She'd developed a numbness that had allowed her to endure. That and the anger. Really, she should be angry at _him_ for leaving without a second thought, but she had been angry at herself. Angry that she wasn't good enough for him to stay. Angry that she wasn't strong enough to even _help_ bring him back. Angry that she always let her emotions get in the way of her duty. Angry that she'd allowed her emotions to betray her. She'd found out that emotions couldn't be trusted. If she hadn't loved him, it wouldn't have hurt so much. If only she'd suppressed it like she did now instead of clinging to the false hope that someday he'd feel the same way. But she'd only been 12. A naïve, whimsical 12-year-old with pink hair, big, green eyes, and a large forehead. Well, she still had pink hair, green eyes, and a large forehead, but she was no longer naïve, she no longer entertained impossible fantasies, because she knew he'd never come back. Even entertaining the slight possibility for even a moment would cause her to break under the eventual realization that it would_never_ happen. She was not 12 anymore. She was 18; a grown woman who could handle herself in any situation presented to her. _Any_situation. Unlike when she was 12, she no longer cringed at the thought of taking life or using her body as a weapon. She was a shinobi. She was a _strong_ shinobi. She did what she what was required of her to complete the task assigned her.

Sakura shook her head to rid herself of any thoughts related to him. Just the mention of his name set her feelings in motion, betraying her with the thoughts that she missed him, that she wanted him back. She liked to think she'd gotten over her attraction to him the day he walked out of those gates. Denial was easier than confronting the truth in some situations. A necessity in this one.

"All I need is some sake, a shower and sleep."

Generally speaking, she wasn't a drinker. She only kept the odd bottle (stolen from Tsunade's stash, of course. She never could bring herself to step inside a bottle shop. She just felt guilty) for these sorts of instances. They helped her get into a deep enough sleep so she wasn't plagued by nightmares.

But cleanliness always took first priority. Years of working in the hospital had made her hygiene-conscious, now that she was fully aware of the various germs and bacteria lurking around, even if some of them were harmless. It was still gross thinking that they were constantly on her skin, on her bed, in her _mouth_…

_EW, EW, EW! Shower NOW!_

Stripping off her clothes as she made her way to the shower (having your own apartment did have its advantages), Sakura paused at the picture of her and Naruto at their celebration at passing the jounin examination. Even though he'd been away for 3 years, he'd become so highly skilled, he'd caught up to the level of the rest of the shinobi in his class in a year! But more importantly, her rock was back. Naruto was back. When _he_ had first left, Naruto had been her only comfort, a calm place in the midst of a violent storm. She'd been okay until he'd left. Of course, when he'd come to her about leaving to further his training, she'd almost had a heart attack. She didn't know if she could _function_ without him, but how could she live with a clear conscious if she prevented him from reaching his ultimate goal? As much as Naruto wanted to be the next Hokage, he would drop it in a second for his friends. That's just the kind of guy he was. But she couldn't do that. In a way, she'd _needed_ him to leave as much as he did. She wanted to prove to herself that she was strong enough to survive by herself…and the numbness began settling slowly around her heart like a disease, eating away at it, replacing it with a cold, logical exterior, keeping her volatile emotions at bay.

**Okay, Sakura! You really need a shower! Not only do you stink like the dead, soon you're going to be acting like the dead too!**

She wasn't completely emotionless. She cared about people, she loved people. She let herself feel. It was only in matters concerning _him_that she didn't. At even the slightest mention of _him_ she'd form herself into an emotionless _thing_…so unlike her usual self that it freaked most people out. Naruto had pestered her for days after the first time he'd seen it, when he'd accidentally mentioned _him_ (no one had given him the memo). He only stopped after Ino told him it only happened at the mention of _him_ and not to worry too much about it coz she could take care of herself and had been doing so since he'd left. That had been a punch in Naruto's gut. For a while, he'd thought she didn't need him anymore and the fact that she'd been forced to live without him and be alone in her pain had made him feel incredibly guilty. It was only when Sakura convinced him that she'd _always_need Naruto, even if she was 50 and had 5 kids and 2 grandkids. And she told him that if he ever felt guilty for leaving, she'd drop-kick him into the next village (a threat he didn't take so lighting after seeing her punch chasms into the ground).

Sakura smiled faintly at the thought of her best friend and proceeded to take the much-needed shower, letting the hot water sooth her muscles and her mind. She always did struggle with over-doing it. The fact that her chakra wasn't expendable like Naruto's irritated her to no end. She wanted to help as many people as she could, and often forgot the limits of her own body in the process.

_Oh well..._

At least she was strong and skilled enough to help people in the first place. She was suited for any kind of mission or medical issue that came her way…unlike when she was 12…

**Bad train of thought, Sakura…**

Damn, she needed that sake! She cut her shower sort, dried, and walked to her bedroom, pulling out half the contents of her drawers to find her pajamas. She never wore them much as she usually slept in the clothes she'd worn that day on the occasions she forgot about all the bacteria in her mouth. And that was more often than she'd like to admit. Another factor of her strange routine that Naruto had been worried about upon his return was her crazy working hours and how she often fell asleep that way. But once again, Ino had told him it was completely normal, if not necessary for her and that everyone else was used to it, so he should get with the program, so to speak. Naruto, being Naruto, refused to accept such unhealthy habits (like his constant ramen-eating wasn't unhealthy) and tried to force Sakura into taking on a _new_ schedule. After that he was promptly introduced to one of Sakura's famous tantrums, which he'd also learned to fear (even being as strong as he is) and the subject was dropped, though she knew he didn't like it. She was a big girl now. She could take care of herself now. Which was why she moved out of her parents house as soon as she reached chunin level, when you are deemed mature enough to live on your own (or perhaps it was just the fact that you made enough money to support yourself at that point).

Sakura held up her pajamas triumphantly, not bothering with underwear coz she wasn't sure she had any clean pairs.

_What the hell. Most people sleep naked. No one's going to see me anyway._

She sighed in contentment as she felt the smooth red silk slide over her delicate frame. The pajamas didn't leave much to the imagination, but she'd always found sleeping in less more comfortable (though she didn't quite go as far as to sleep naked. She had always thought that was a bit weird and imagined various instances of when people came in unexpectedly and caught her in her birthday suit). It was more…free. She didn't like being restricted by clothes, which is why she always wore tight clothes that didn't get in her way, which also didn't leave much to the imagination. She wasn't trying to be provocative or slutty in any way, just practical. On a mission, she didn't want clothes getting in the way of her movements. She supposed the habit had transitioned over to her sleep wear.

The bed look incredibly appealing, but she knew as soon as she shut her eyes, she'd see his face. She didn't even know what he _looked_ like, but somehow her mind had unconsciously conjured up an image of what it thought he'd look like at 18.

_Time for sake._

She promptly took a half-full sake bottle from her stash in the fridge (when Naruto had asked about it, she'd said she used it for medical reasons. She didn't exactly lie, but she didn't want Naruto to get all worried about her again, causing her temper to flare and possibly causes Naruto bodily harm, which she always felt guilty about after she healed him…though it felt good at the time) and couldn't help but kiss it. If it weren't for sake, she'd probably have to drug herself to sleep, and that appealed to her even less than falling asleep thinking of him…well…almost anyway.

She sat on her kitchen counter (knowing that if she went for the couch she'd fall asleep too soon) and rested her feet on the stool. She didn't know why she always sat on the counter…probably another weird freedom thing. In anyone else's apartment she couldn't sit on the counter (unless it was Naruto. If he had a bowl of ramen in front of him he didn't notice), it was just rude, but this was _her_apartment, _her_ domain! She could do whatever the hell she wanted (which usually consisted of falling into bed in her clothes).

She almost sprayed the sake out of her mouth as the first sip burned its way down her chest.

_Kami, that's strong!!!_

Well, she was never one to shy away from a challenge, so she took another sip…and another…and another until her body had become has numb as her emotions. She already started feeling lightheaded after about 5 big mouthfuls, but she needed to be hammered to get any proper, dreamless sleep.

"Of all people, I thought you'd be the most likely to stay away from sake."

Mid-swig, Sakura turned her head to the left to find who the strange voice belonged to. It was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it.

But no amount of sake could prepare her for who stood leaning against her doorway like it was perfectly normal.

She turned back to her former position and took another _long_ swig, ignoring the feeling like she wanted to throw up all over her carpet. And she didn't know if that was entirely because of the sake. Sake was supposed to get _rid_ of imaginations, _not_evoke them.

But what the hell, she might as well entertain it. It's not like she'd remember it in the morning.

"And I didn't think you'd be coming back in my lifetime. Honestly, I expected you to be long dead by now, or possessed by some psychotic ninja. So I think you should get busy doing either one of those before I muster up enough energy to kick you through the door…or worse."

Maybe a couple of years ago she would have entertained this imagination by jumping him or something like that (this wasn't the first time she'd felt like he was actually there), but she'd long grown out of that. Now she just wanted to hurt him like he hurt her.

"And here I thought you'd be the person that would want to see me the most." He drawled with a smirk not unlike the ones she had been used to. She'd never seen him smile.

"Yeah, well, things change." She said without looking at him, fearing that the old desire would come back, and took another swig of sake.

"Apparently." He said as he raked his eyes over her barely-clad body, as if he was making a point. Like he wasn't at all affected by how much flesh she was revealing. He was observing her the way you observed bark on a tree. Sakura chose not to care lest she was tempted to do some serious damage and screw up her whole apartment. It was so expensive the last time.

"You know, you should really watch how much of that you take." He continued.

At this comment Sakura _did_ look at him, hoping her gaze showed all the murderous intent she felt for him, "And since when did _you_ ever care?"

He was expressionless, just like how he used to be. "I need you -"

Sakura let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, and Naruto doesn't like ramen." She turned to him after taking another swig. "Look, I know you're not real. You never are. You'd never come back. So can you just_leave_ so I can get suitably hammered and pass out."

He didn't say anything, he just walked over to her and stood right in front of her, grabbing the sake bottle out of her hand and throwing it against the wall. Sakura gasped in shock and anger as the liquid seeped into the wall and ran down to soak into the carpet.

"_HEY_! What the hell was _that_ for?"

But he didn't seem to register her words. He just kicked the stool out of the way and put his hands on either side of her on the counter. In this position Sakura couldn't help noticing that her eyes were level with his fathomless ones that were all too familiar.

_He must be really tall…_

But all thoughts escaped her as he leaned forward.

She could smell him. His scent was so _masculine_ and unlike any she'd ever smelt. While Naruto just smelled like sweat and ramen, he smelt like a man. She could _feel_his light breath mingle with her sake-tainted breath. The effect was wholly unsettling and she wasn't quite sure _what_ to do. This was unlike any imagination she'd ever experienced. But it wasn't real. It _couldn't_be.

"But I did come back, Sakura. But only to get you. I need you to come with me." He said, finishing off what he was going to say before Sakura interrupted him the first time.

Sakura couldn't do anything but focus on breathing (she might stop if she didn't). Her mind couldn't form any words. They all escaped her (the sake couldn't have helped). All she was able to do was feel the sensation of him being this close to her…even if it wasn't real.

"You see, Orochimaru needs the use of his arms back. He can't teach me any more jutsus with his arms hanging limp at his side."

At the mention of Orochimaru's name, her stupor cleared long enough for her to say:

"Still that bastard's bitch, eh?"

He clenched his jaw and forcibly restrained his obvious irritation at her menacing words.

"Things have changed for me to, Sakura."

She suppressed a shiver at the sound of her name on his lips as she struggled to comprehend what he meant. What had changed?

**This isn't real, Sakura. SNAP OUT OF IT! You're being seduced by him all over again! And he's not even real! Think of what he put you through!**

Her anger came back in full force as she pushed him back and leapt off the counter (somewhat unsteadily thanks to the sake).

"Well, this was a lovely chat, but I really need to get to bed. I have work tomorrow and I can't let someone as unimportant as you keep me up."

If he was startled by her sudden retaliation, he didn't show it. Nothing had changed in _that_department, obviously.

"You don't think I'm real, do you?"

"Not in the least. Should I?" she said while placing her hands on her hips in impatience.

"It's not shocking reaction, but I'm sure you'll realize this is all too real when you don't wake up in your own bed tomorrow."

Sakura had to look away. His gaze was just too intense. "You're probably right. I'll probably wake up on the counter where I fell asleep."

"That's not what I meant, but you will see." He walked towards her and grabbed her arms in an unbreakable grip. "I _am_ sorry, Sakura."

It was almost genuine…almost. But what was he sorry for?

Sakura started to panic. She could feel the pain lacing up and down her arms at his tight grip. She wasn't supposed to feel pain! It was a dream! She struggled against his iron grip, only succeeding in making him grip harder. She looked up at his face and was shocked to see that he'd activated his Sharingan.

_No…_

This was real.

"S-Sasuke?" she rasped out of a dry throat before her world went black


	2. A Sound Hangover

**Two: A Sound Hangover**

Sakura woke with a pounding headache. That was only to be expected considering the amount of sake she downed last night…and how strong it was. Blinking her eyes to adjust to the light of the morning sun streaming through the window, she sat up in her bed…only to find that her head hurt even more with this action and that she was not in her bed.

_What the…_

There was no way she was still sleeping. Her head hurt _way_too much for that to be an option. She struggled to remember what had happened last night, if she'd accidentally gotten laid or something like that, but the mental exertion made her head hurt even more (if that was even physically possible) and she couldn't remember a damn thing.

**Maybe it is time you gave up this habit, Sakura**

She vaguely remembered someone saying something like that to her last night. It couldn't have been Naruto. Firstly, he knew better if he still wanted his head to be attached to his body. Secondly, that would mean she would be in _his_ bed which was just gross. Not that she hadn't slept in the same bed as him before, but not _his_bed! It was the single most repulsive thing she'd ever seen (though she hadn't looked inside his fridge yet. She was afraid she would catch some incurable disease just by inhaling the air from that place)! She could practically see the bacteria and germs crawling all over it…because there was so damn many. And besides, this didn't look like his bed or any bed she was familiar with (which wasn't all too many). So either some random guy walked into her house, noticed she was drunk, and decided he wanted a quick screw or she'd wandered out herself and the same thing had happened. The first one couldn't have happened coz she'd locked the front door and why would the guy take her to his place and take her there when he could just do it in her place…and why would a random guy just walk in anyway? So it_must _be the second option. The only logical explanation.

_Does it even matter?_

It wasn't worth the extra pounding in her head. However she got there, all she had to worry about was getting back.

She clutched her head as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Whoever she'd screwed last night, it must not have been on the bed coz the covers she was sitting on were perfectly neat. And black. Or was it a deep shape of blue? Weird. Who was psychotic enough to sleep in sheets this color? And this person wasn't even decent enough to put her _under _the covers but had just laid her on top. Didn't they think she'd get cold in these flimsy pajamas?

_Oh crap!_

How the hell was she supposed to get home in _these_?

_Talk about the most embarrassing situation ever!_

At least she wasn't naked. She was infinitely glad that she decided not to sleep naked. But she still felt like crap. Probably looked like crap too. If the guy she was with last night walked through the door he probably would have been thinking "_CRAP_! I screwed that?" Ha. Some small semblance of revenge for taken advantage of a drunken woman.

Sakura slowly surveyed her surroundings, still blinking repeatedly at the imposing light. The room was impossibly dull. There was a bed, and small table next to the left side of the bed (if you were facing it) which was probably the side its owner slept on. On that table was a lamp and other than that the room had a chest of drawers. And that was it. The walls were the same color of the sheets and so was the carpet, making the room seem incredibly dark and foreboding, like its owner didn't like happy things. Like he wanted to be reminded of all the bad things in the world. Again, totally psychotic! How _did_she get herself in these situations? Well, at least the owner had made sure all the blues were the same. In that particular shade, any other blue would have completely ruined the overall affect. At least he had _some_sense of color coordination, even if he was psychotic. Talking about color coordination, Sakura stuck out like a rose in the midst of thorns (she's always liked using that metaphor while referring to herself), what, with her pink hair and blood red pajamas.

Sakura attempted to stand up, but immediately fell back down on the bed again as a wave of nausea washed over her. She noticed the bed was very hard. So unlike her soft bed at home.

_I just want to go home!_

But how could she go home if she couldn't even stand up? Tears pricked her eyes and she blinked them away just as quickly as they'd appeared. She couldn't remember the last time she'd cried and she sure as hell wasn't going to start again over as something as trivial (albeit embarrassing) as this. She could handle herself. She could handle this. Just as she'd vowed to herself that she would become strong enough to handle anything as soon as she realized Sasuke wasn't coming back…ever.

_Sasuke?_

Why had his name popped into her head after so much time? She couldn't remember the last time she'd said it, even in her thoughts. And why did a mental image of him leaning towards her pop into her head, more like it was a forgotten memory rather than an imagination?

_This is just too weird…_

She glanced around the room again, noting that it was probably exactly how Sasuke would decorate his room…

**STOP! What are you thinking? You've come too far to fail now!**

Sakura nodded to herself in silent agreement and was secretly thankful for Inner Sakura. Most of the time she just felt like a freak. No one else she knew had inner selves, but times like these she was glad she had it. Whatever 'it' was.

So Sakura sat on the bed, absentmindedly tapping her feet on the floor in some random rhythm, wondering if she'd be able to walk before the guy returned and things became incredibly awkward.

_Knowing my luck, it'll probably be any second now._

And sure enough, the door slammed open, revealing the psychotic guy she'd been with last night.

---

It only took one quick look at Sakura for Sasuke to know that she was_definitely not_ expecting him to walk through the door. Well, it wasn't his fault she got drunk. It made his job easier at any rate. From what he remembered of her, she could be very loud when she wanted to. That had probably just gotten worse with age. He hoped she wouldn't start screaming now. But surely she must have picked up some dignity as she grew up. He winced as a mental image of Sakura fainting as she saw him buried in the ground popped into his head. Okay, maybe she'd faint instead. That seemed like a probably reaction. But what was it that she'd said to him last night?

_Things change…_

Well he certainly hoped that in this case it had. The fact that she obviously wasn't infatuated with him was…annoying. All the time he was with her he'd wished she'd just get away from him and leave him alone, but when he actually _wanted_ her to love him, she didn't. That just figured. He was pretty sure she pretty much hated him now. A typical response he'd expect from anyone but Sakura. Even if she didn't love him anymore, he'd at least expected her to accept him. This was _Sakura_. She'd yelled at Naruto when he'd stomped on an ant hole! Her kindness knew no bounds, which was why he she was a pathetic ninja. At least she could heal now. That fit into her apparent goal of 'helping everyone.' And apparently she was exceptionally good at it. He grudgingly admitted to himself that that wasn't _too_ much of a surprise. Her chakra control had always been perfect. And that was why she was here, in his bedroom, sitting on his bed, staring at him like he was a ghost. Well, to her, he probably was.

"Sasuke?"

---

Sakura blinked once…twice…and again and again until she could be completely sure that _Sasuke Uchiha_ had just walked through the door. And she knew it was real. This was just not possible. After telling herself for _so_ long that she'd _never_ see him again, the sight before her was just too hard to grasp.

**Okay, Sakura. This is a new one. **

_So what the hell am I supposed to do!!!_

**Well, how should I know? **

_But you _always _know what to do!_

**Okay, okay let's think her for a second…**

_It's already been, like, a minute since he walked through that door! I probably look like a gaping idiot right now! _Not_exactly a display of my immense hatred for him!_

**Good point. He's here. So be it. Just accept it. Take strength from your hatred of him. That's always kept you strong in the past.**

A logical suggestion. But Sakura knew she was in deep emotional and mental trouble. Talking to herself was a telltale sign.

"Sasuke?"

He was still looking at her with that blank expression he always wore.

"I told you this would happen."

"I'm sorry, what?"

He smirked. "Last night. You were drunk. You didn't believe it was me. I told you that you'd believe it in the morning."

Did that mean they'd…? Nah…

_What the hell, Sasuke's probably still a virgin…and he sure as hell wouldn't do _that_ with me of all people. If he did, I'd castrate him in a second._

Sakura racked her brain for any memories of last night and all she got was the mental picture of Sasuke leaning over her…

"I can only remember one thing."

He waited for her to go on, clearly not seeing the need to let any of his precious energy go to waste by talking to her any more than he had to. She felt the old anger creep past her shock and panic and surprise.

_Let the loathing begin._

"I remember you leaning over me in an attempt to be intimidating and failing miserably. But that's all."

She applauded herself silently when his impenetrable mask of stone slipped for a moment to reveal his surprise. She guessed he wasn't used to her hating him yet.

He shrugged, "Well then, I'll just have to give you a little visual reminder."

He walked over to her and stood in front of her, forcing to look up at his towering frame from her seat on the bed. How she wished she could stand up.

"Stand up."

"Don't tell me what to do." Once upon a time he just had to say the word and she'd jump off a cliff for him, but not now. Not anymore. Not ever again.

He shrugged, "Have it your way." He leaned down on top over her, bracing himself up with two hands on either side of her as her back was forced onto the bed. She refused to be in such a vulnerable position and used her elbows to keep herself somewhat upright. Sasuke didn't seem to care or notice either way. She certainly hoped he didn't notice the brief stab of arousal at his proximity before she squashed it down furiously. Once upon a time she would have died a thousand deaths to be in this kind of position with Sasuke, even if it meant nothing to him, but not now. Not anymore. Not ever again.

Sakura opened her mouth to ask him what the hell he was doing and if he could, please, get the hell off her, but before she could, he activated his Sharingan, immediately casting her under its spell. Her body was paralyzed. All she could do was look into those eyes…

…and see the events of last night play out before her. It was weird seeing herself like she was. In little red pajamas, half-wet, half-dry pink hair with no apparent style to it, and guzzling a bottle of sake. Quite frankly, she was appalled. She couldn't _believe_she'd let her dignity stoop to such a low level, even in the privacy of her own home. It was shameful. And _completely_ embarrassing (she could have at least drunk out of a glass and sat on a chair like a civilized person). Sasuke had seen her like that! And she had been in that state because of him!

_Stupid, insolent…_

Her thoughts trailed off as she heard him say he wanted her to heal Orochimaru's arms. Like hell she would. Nothing in Heaven or Earth could make her heal the arms of the bastard that stole her Sasuke…

_Wait…_

**Oh for Kami's sake, did you just say **my** Sasuke? Get a grip, Sakura! You're losing it! Just coz he happens to be in a slightly compromising position with you! And anyway, he**chose** to go! Don't forget that! And even if Orochimaru didn't exist, he'd still leave anyway.**

By the time she'd finished her little conversation with her Inner Sakura, the scene had played out, leaving Sakura under Sasuke.

"Okay, you can get the hell off me now."

As soon as Sasuke pulled himself upright the paralysis was gone.

Sakura sat up and attempted to brush down her hair, like Sasuke had messed it up (like it wasn't already messed up).

"Oh, and by the way, if you think for one second that I'm going to heal that bastard's arms, you're seriously delusional and in need of mental help. Wait, you're probably already in need of that."

"Whatever."

Oh, just great. There was that answer of his that was supposed to say all but instead said absolutely nothing. It seemed as though he was as talkative as ever, though that wasn't really surprising. She doubted there were many people to talk to in the Sound village, where she assumed she was. Oh man, she was going to go psychotic herself! She'd probably only have Inner Sakura for company! How sad!

Well, Sasuke didn't seem like he was going to say much about anything, so Sakura took charge.

"Look, I hate to inconvenience you after dragging my ass all the way to Sound. I'm sure you must be _so_ tired, but could I possibly have a shower so I resemble a human somewhat?"

He gave her what was possibly the most bored look she'd ever received from him, and that was saying something!

"Whatever. I don't care."

She assumed that was a yes and that he wasn't planning on saying anymore so she stood up with as much grace as she could, tried hard not to stumble from the nausea, ignored the pain in her head, and walked to the bathroom. Upon shutting the door behind her, she braced herself on the counter and waited for the nausea to pass.

_I am never, never drinking sake again! _

Once it had passed, she stripped (remembering with horror that she didn't put any underwear on) and turned the taps on. Kami knew how long she'd be stuck there for, and she had nothing at all. Not toiletries, no brush, no shampoo or conditioner, no facial wash, no underwear, no decent clothes, no toothbrush (GASP)…nothing that could be of use to her but barely-there silk pajamas!

She forced herself not to think of this as she stepped into the inviting shower, letting the warm water sooth her nerves and anxiety. She found it faintly weird that she was naked, having a shower in_Sasuke's _bathroom, in _Sasuke's_ shower, but refused to dwell on it further as she unwittingly got a mental image of _him_ in the same shower! It was like his sudden reappearance had set all the old feelings of desire she had for him in motion, with a strange mixture of absolute, pure, unadulterated hatred and loathing with it. What a messed up situation!

She immediately got out of the shower upon realizing that that disturbing mental image would not go away. She tried herself off with a towel, stopping abruptly when she realized Sasuke could have used this very towel himself…and what if he hadn't washed it!

_EW! Germs! Bacteria!_

But that wasn't the only thing she was thinking about. In shock, she dropped her towel and looked around for clean clothes, only to figure out, whoops, she didn't have any. She couldn't get back in those pajamas. Not only did they stink of sake (which she wanted to forget ever existed), but they also stunk of sweat. And she could just see all the bacteria and germs crawling all over them, probably as drunk on sake as she was from the residue on her pajamas. They were microscopic…it wouldn't take much to get them hammered!

That's it. She had no choice. Tentatively picking up the towel, she wrapped it around herself, hoping that Sasuke wouldn't get turned on by her walking out of his bathroom with only a towel…_his_ towel wrapped around her. But come to think of it, the chances of Sasuke getting turned on by anything with two breasts and a vagina was as likely as Suna getting snow. Not freaking likely.

Though_normal_ guys seemed to be turned on by it. She'd discovered that when she'd been in a similar situation at Naruto's house after a mission. When she emerged from his bathroom with a towel around her, he'd stammered, saying to wear whatever she wanted while trying to inconspicuously put a pillow over his erection as he sat on the couch, failing miserably. It had only served to freak Sakura out more when she put some of his clothes on in the bathroom and wondered how he was going to take care of it. They'd never spoken of the incident and she sure as hell wasn't going to bring it up. So if Naruto, who was like her brother/best friend, got turned on by it, pretty much every guy was susceptible to it. She didn't know what they found to be such a turn-on. Most towels were long and went to the knees. It sure left a bit to the imagination. Maybe it was the fact that a towel indicated that they'd just come out of the shower, therefore giving them a mental picture of them in that shower. Or maybe it was the fact that they knew they had nothing underneath that towel, therefore presenting another mental picture. Or maybe it was the fact that they knew the towel was so easy to remove – not like bras and panties and troublesome things like that. No, you didn't even have to do anything with a towel. All the girl had to do was lift her arms and, whoops, there she goes! It was probably all of those things. And even if those things passed through Sasuke's mind, she was sure he'd observe them like one observed a tree swaying in the breeze.

---

As Sasuke stood in his bedroom waiting for Sakura to get out of the shower, he couldn't help but feel a bit weird about her being in there. She was in _his_ shower…the very same shower he used everyday. A mental picture of her in there, rubbing her hands down her wet, naked body sprung into his mind before he could stop it. He winced as he pushed the image aside. It was _Sakura_, for crying out loud! That was more than a bit weird. He blamed the pajamas. He'd definitely have to get some new clothes for her. They revealed more of her than he wanted to see. Like when she leaned back, she unconsciously pushed her breasts up and they in turned strained against the flimsy material. She might as well have nothing there at all! And those tiny shorts! He was sure they were more like underwear, which probably meant she wasn't wearing any proper underwear. Just great. No, he definitely could not have her walking around Sound in _that_! It would cause a riot! Sure, the men here saw girls on a daily basis, but these girls were hard, tough Sound ninja, not the type of girls that actually stir the imagination. Sakura and everything about her was soft and stirred the imagination. Even when she spat out insults at him, she could tell her feelings for him were the only thing that had really changed about her (well, that and her body).

His thoughts were interrupted as the door opened, revealing Sakura in nothing but a towel…_his_ towel. He forced himself to suppress whatever feeling that sight had aroused and gave her a carefully bored look, not intending to speak, lest his voice betray him. But he couldn't stop the images. The shower image came back, along with an image of what was underneath that towel (or lack of what was underneath) and the fact that it was so easy to take off. All she had to do was lift her arms and… And he had a pretty good idea of what she'd look like naked. He'd already seen more than enough to fill in the gaps.

Damnit. Ignoring her was _so_much easier when she didn't have boobs and an ass, and didn't wear little, silk pajamas, and didn't come out of his bathroom in nothing but a towel.

She looked a little embarrassed herself. Obviously she never thought she'd be in this strange position either.

"Um…I don't have any other clothes than the ones I came in."

He looked at her as though what she was saying was utterly inane. He'd now figured out that talking to her would arouse her obvious disdain for him and she'd vocalize it. By staying silent and pretending that she wasn't even worth opening his mouth for (which she really wasn't), he annoyed her even more, but she didn't annoy him by opening her mouth. She just glared. That he could handle fine.

"Well, I need some clothes."

He lifted an eyebrow. "I hardly think you're in the position to make demands, Sakura."

"Well, it was you who brought me here in nothing but those little pajamas, and unless you want me walking around in those…"

Enough said. He sure didn't want to have to stomach that image for however long she had to stay here.

Without another word he walked to his drawers and searched for some appropriate clothes, only slightly disturbed that she was going to be wearing _his_ clothes…without underwear. He suppressed a shudder. He'd have to get them washed thoroughly before he got them back.


	3. Double O

**Three: Double O**

Sakura's heart beat loudly in her chest, no matter how hard she tried to calm down. She was walking through the Sound Nin compound next to the guy who _ruled_ it whom she used to be hopelessly in love with when she was 12…who she didn't even know anymore. Sasuke was right. Things _had_ changed for him. She'd found it hard to conceal her surprised when he'd told her how things were around here now. But not everything had changed. Sasuke had always been cold, emotionless, and seemingly indifferent to all that went on around him besides that which concerned his brother. He was still cold, emotionless, and indifferent…but there was something else there. And she didn't know what the hell it was. Quite frankly, it freaked the hell out of her. And if obviously freaked the hell out of everyone else in this Kami-forsaken place. She couldn't help but notice the way the ninja froze as he passed by them, only turning their gaze to the pink-hair girl beside him when they were safely out of his eyesight. She couldn't help but notice how they practically tripped over themselves to get out of his way, lest they accidentally anger him by touching him, at which point he'd probably cut their head off. She knew he wouldn't hesitate for a second. She supposed part of it was to do with the whole power thing. Sound was a vicious place (if Orochimaru's extreme psychotic behavior was anything to go by), and in order to rule it, you had to be ruthless, unfeeling…have no weaknesses whatsoever. Apparently Orochimaru had a weakness, so Sasuke usurped his title. It could have been the arms, but if that were his weakness, Sasuke wouldn't be so eager to restore them. It must be something else.

And above all it was so _weird_, watching the reverent, fearful way the ninja looked at Sasuke. To her he was still that grumpy 12-year-old boy, struggling to gain more power with an attitude problem and social issues. It was clear he still had the attitude problem and social issues, but it seemed as though he had more power than he could have hoped for. It was hard looking at him in the way his ninja did. This was _Sasuke_, plain and simple. Even if she did loath every breath he took.

He pushed open double doors and walked into a large room. It was as barren as everywhere else in this hellhole, but she noticed it had some more…regal fittings. Not for comfort. Sound Nin scorned comfort, but it was obvious that this is where the important people were. She could feel the charged atmosphere, intensified by Sasuke's arrival. He seemed to charge the air around him, causing everyone in the room to look at him warily, as if they didn't know if he was in a bad mood and about to chop all their heads off, or a particularly gracious mood and let them live another day. They all but scrambled out of the room, leaving one sole figure on the largest, most important-looking chair in the room. She knew who it was in an instant. She flinched as she remembered their encounter in the chunin exams…when it had all started…

"Orochimaru, I thought I told you to stay off my chair."

Orochimaru managed to look guilty and sickly satisfied at the same time.

"My sincerest apologies, Uchiha-sama. I was merely-"

"Trying to reinstate your rank? Nice try. The elite know I'll just kill them all if they try to backstab me. If I didn't need you for jutsus, you'd be rotting in your grave right now." He said it in a way that you observed weather like, "Oh, this is quite a nice day, though a bit hot for my liking."

It was so strange seeing Sasuke exert that kind of power over Orochimaru, whom they'd all been afraid of for years. Now it seemed the tables had turned and Orochimaru barely held on with his life, as did everyone else in this compound. And Uchiha-sama? What the hell was that! She'd sooner each dog crap than call Sasuke 'Uchiha-sama!'

"Get off."

Orochimaru did so without another word, slightly sitting in the chair on the right-hand side.

Sasuke didn't even bother to sit in the 'power chair,' silently exerting his power yet again. This action only showed that Sasuke didn't need a chair for people to know who was in control.

Orochimaru waited silently for Sasuke to address him. It seemed they took respect seriously here. And to think! She'd repeatedly insulted this man! She found it hard to care. He needed her; he wouldn't kill her…yet. And besides, she'd sooner run around Konoha stark naked than fear Sasuke!

And she was sick of just standing there doing nothing.

"Are you going to say something, Sasuke, or are we just going to stand here like mute idiots?"

Orochimaru shot her an alarmed look, which she didn't understand until she felt Sasuke backhand her.

Her hand flew to her stinging right cheek and gasped in shock and indignation. She felt betrayed all over again. Sasuke has just _hit_ her like she was a meaningless wench. But that's all she was to him, wasn't she? She couldn't stop the tears that pricked in her large, green eyes, more from the emotional pain than the physical. And she was furious at herself for even caring. What did it matter to her that he just backhanded her? In her books he'd been dead to her a long time ago. This was the boy she hated. Why should she care?

Because it was Sasuke, that's why. No matter how much she told herself she'd rather him dead, she knew it wasn't true. A part of her hated him, yes, but another part still clung to that naïve love she'd felt for him so long again, and it had surfaced again, now that she'd seen him. Now that she'd touched him.

She calmly returned her hand to her side and stared straight ahead, without emotion, like Sasuke always did.

---

A part of Sasuke couldn't stand the fact that he'd just hit Sakura…_Sakura_ of all people! Frail, fragile, delicate Sakura. A vicious stab of guilt coursed through him at the expression on her face before she made it carefully emotionless. For the first time in his life, he wanted to apologize for something he did. He never, _ever_ apologized for _anything_. He hoped she understood that it was necessary. If he didn't exert his control over her and punish her as he did everyone else, it'd be a sign of favor. Favor was weakness. And weakness was unacceptable. He'd just have to warn her that if she said anything like that to him in public again, that's the kind of response she'd be getting.

He turned back to Orochimaru, who was looking at Sakura with mild interest.

"Here's your girl."

"Interesting. I recognize her from somewhere."

He could tell Sakura wanted to say something menacing, but forced herself to keep her mouth shut. That was an improvement.

"Whether or not you know her is unimportant, what is important is healing your arms. You said this girl was an exceptional healing, second only to the Hokage herself. She's your problem now. Good luck with getting her to actually perform her task. She's quite stubborn."

Sakura glared at him. He could feel the force of her anger against the side of his face. He chose to ignore it so he wouldn't have to backhand her again.

---

That stupid boy was pretending he didn't even know her! To protect himself, of course. They'd probably think she was a 'weakness' if they knew she was a former teammate, if they knew she used to be in love with him. And what was that about handing her over to Orochimaru! Like hell he would! She didn't care if Sasuke killed her; she'd shove that pretty face of his 3 feet deep into the nearest wall!

Sasuke turned to her and she forced herself to tone down the death glare.

"Orochimaru and I have things to discuss, you may return to your given chambers." He waved his hand dismissively. She didn't notice as she walked towards the exit, trying to remember the way back to her 'chambers.' But they weren't hers, they were Sasuke's. Or maybe no one knew she was in there. Now that she knew what this place was really like, what Sasuke had to do to maintain control around here, she sure didn't want anyone finding out.

But damn it all, she couldn't remember her way! She couldn't exactly ask the nearest ninja where Sasuke's chambers were. He would probably think she was sick in the head and chop it off for insulting their precious leader by calling him by his given name.

_Damn Uchiha._

He was only 18 and he'd still managed to gain the fear and respect of a whole village…the most feared village too, and the most feared man in it. It was incredible. He'd no doubt killed that damn brother of his by now…so why didn't he come back?

She shook of this useless train of thought as she noticed ninja eye-balling her clothes. Remembering they were Sasuke's, she drew her arms across her chest and walked faster, getting hopelessly lost in the process. Giving up, she walked out some random door and sat down on some stone steps. This whole place was made out of stone and cement…utterly bland. And how long was she going to be stuck here? Would she forget the smell of flowers as they bloomed in spring? Would she forget how to smile, to laugh? Would she grow cold and callous like the rest of the ninja here? Sasuke had already put enough of that coldness into her. She didn't want anymore.

She brought her knees up to her chin and hid her face in the space between them, trying so hard not to cry. She could do this. She was a Leaf Village shinobi, capable of handling any mission or situation handed to her. She was not weak. She would not be weak.

So why was this situation so different?

Sasuke, that's why. Silently she cursed him over and over again. That stupid boy just had to ruin everything! As soon as she found some happiness, he appeared just to take it away again!

Sakura felt more than saw someone sit next to her. Her head jilted up in surprise as she looked at her companion. He was a boy, brunette, tan skin, and the brightest pair of eye's she'd ever seen (and that was saying a lot seeing as Naruto's practically jumped out of his head). His green eyes looked into her own and he smiled.

Wait, smiled? People didn't _smile_ in this place!

"Hi, I'm Omri."

Sakura was too shocked to do anything but mutter a quiet 'hi' in return.

"So are you new here?"

"What makes you say that?"

Omri laughed, taking her by surprised again. "Well, I think I would have noticed an attractive, pink-hair girl around here before, wouldn't you?"

Sakura found herself smiling back. His happiness was contagious.

"Well, I supposed you would! I'm Sakura by the way."

He tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Sakura, eh? Suits your hair. Nice name."

Sakura couldn't help the blush the spread across her cheeks. It'd been so long since a guy had given her a compliment. "Thank you."

He smiled in response. "So are you a ninja or…"

"Or?"

He shrugged, "I dunno, something else."

Sakura tilted her head to the side as she thought of an answer.

"I suppose 'something else' would cover it somewhat."

"But it doesn't cover why you're wearing Uchiha-sama's clothes." He said softly, as if he was treading on very soft ground.

He was.

Sakura made a point of shrugging and pulled and the clothes as if they meant nothing. Coz they _did_ mean nothing.

"When Sasuke kidnapped me I wasn't wearing much so I kind of had to improvise."

When Omri's eyebrows shot up, she realized how weird that must have sounded.

"Oh…oh I didn't mean it to sound like that!"

Omri shifted a bit further away from her.

"It's just that he kidnapped me to heal Orochimaru's arms and I refused to go, so naturally he knocked me out and I happened to be in my pajamas, which didn't leave much to the imagination, mind you, so I had nothing else to change into. Then he presented me to that creep Orochimaru and told me to go back to my chambers, but I don't know where they are coz I just got here last night and I had been really drunk when he kidnapped me so I had a monster of a hangover this morning."

She took a breath as she finished, realizing she hadn't paused for a second.

Omri looked at her with an incredulous expression, probably trying to digest what she'd just rambled, which she probably wasn't supposed to tell anyone in the first place.

"Okay, so you're _not_Uchiha-sama's woman?" he asked cautiously.

Sakura couldn't help but burst into laughter, something she thought she'd never do in this place. "Goodness, no! That's a thought!"

Omri visibly relaxed. "I thought I was a bit out of the ordinary for Uchiha-sama to do that. He doesn't care about anyone."

"If anyone can understand that, it would be me."

He gave her a curious look but wisely chose not to pry.

"So why were you so intent on knowing if I was Sasuke's woman?"

"Well, for one thing, Uchiha-sama _doesn't_do that. And also coz' if you were, he'd probably castrate me for talking to you."

Sakura gasped. What had Sasuke become?

"Did you think I was?"

"Even before the first version of your story."

Sakura tilted her head to the side again. "Why?"

Omri shrugged again and smiled, making her smile too.

"Well, for starters you're wearing his clothes. That is unheard of. Then you talk about him so casually, like you know him. You call him…Sa-by his given name, which you'd probably get your head chopped off for in normal circumstances."

"And you still sat down next to me?"

Omri shrugged again, something she was beginning to associate with him.

"You looked lonely. I know what it's like to be lonely in this place."

Sakura smiled, one of her genuine rare smiles that made her feel happy. She felt like crying in relief. There was kindness in this hole of cement and bricks!

Before she realized what she was doing, she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. "Thank you." She whispered, "You have no idea how much that means."

"Sakura."

She jerked back from Omri violently, not wanting him to get into trouble (or killed) because of her.

She looked up to find Sasuke standing over her, lording all his superior strength in his shadow that fell across her face. She was not intimidated. Omri sure was. He'd probably never even see Sasuke up close, much less be the object of his wrath, which could be terrifying enough, she supposed. Not to her. She had practically grown up with him. She'd known him when he was an awkward 12-year-old (like Sasuke could ever be awkward. He made the girls swoon even then). It was only when he'd hit her that she'd felt a tremor of fear in her belly. Surely he wouldn't hit her again, though she _did_ just hug some random guy she just met in the Sound village.

_Crap…_

---

Sasuke heard as Sakura shut the door behind her and absentmindedly wondered if she'd be able to find her way back to his room. Probably not. He'd have to look for her when he was finished here.

"Haruno will be extremely reluctant to heal your arms. You probably killed some of her friends when you attacked the Leaf village all those years ago. Plus that, she seems the type to be singularly devoted to her village." Sasuke paused. "Though I'm sure you'll find a way."

Orochimaru gave him one of those creepy snake smiles. "I always do…"

"Uchiha-sama." Sasuke reminded him. He found that whole honorary title to be completely insane, but he had to remind people who was in charge here.

Orochimaru dipped his head respectively. "Sorry, Uchiha-sama." He looked up again. "If I may ask a question, my lord."

Sasuke shrugged. "Ask, though I may not answer it."

"Why was the girl wearing your clothes, my lord?"

Sasuke could have easily said it wasn't any of his concern, but that would undoubtedly arouse unwanted suspicion, so he found it easier to answer plainly.

"The clothes she was wearing were less than appropriate. She'd just woken up from her drunken stupor and barely had time to change. I improvised. I have arranged to have fresh clothes sent to her chambers." He narrowed his eyes at Orochimaru. "Satisfied now, snake?"

Orochimaru bowed his head in a gesture of respect.

"Good, then I shall be taking my leave. The girl will be sent to you tomorrow morning."

He walked out of the doors hastily, never too glad to get out of that snake's presence. His eyes were too keen to pick up any little slip he made. And having Sakura here just made that unbearable pressure more suffocating.

He shut his eyes and searched for Sakura's scent. Even after all these, he'd recognize it in an instant. It wasn't one of those things you'd never forget. Once he'd picked it up he realized she was not alone. Just perfect. She couldn't stay out of trouble for more that 5 minutes!

He walked to where her scent said she was located, noticing she'd wandered a far way away from the direction of his room.

_Figures…how annoying._

But as he walked outside he was wholly unprepared for the sight that accosted him. Sakura was sitting innocently on a step talking to another Sound nin…and they were laughing. Obviously the other nin did not care that Sakura was wearing _his_ close, unless she'd told him her reasons for being here, which wasn't much better.

As the Sound nin said something that made Sakura laugh, a strange feeling stabbed him in the chest. A mixture of possessiveness and regret. Possessiveness because Sakura was _his_…his and Naruto's. She always would be in a way. That protectiveness would always be there, much to his immense irritation.

Regret because he'd never made Sakura laugh or smile like that. And that guy had accomplished that within 5 minutes. All Sasuke did was make her cry. And why did he care now, of all times?

He stood in the shadows, watching their casual exchange. He saw a blush spread across Sakura's cheek and his stomach clenched. Only _he_ was supposed to make her blush like that! He may never have made her laugh, but he used to be able to make her blush simply by looking at her. Not anymore though. She'd quite obviously long gotten over him. He wondered how many guy's she'd had since he'd left. If she'd ever fallen in love again. Again, his stomach clenched at the thought, brining back the memory of her sitting on that stone bench, telling him she'd love him always, begging him to stay. He shut his eyes briefly to rid himself of the picture that played in his head. He'd always denied her because he always knew he was going to leave someday or another. It wasn't his fault she wouldn't listen to reason and leave him the hell alone. All he'd wanted to do was get strong enough to kill Itachi. She would have been a hindrance. Naruto would have been a hindrance. And he was right. He'd killed Itachi without their help and become more powerful than he'd ever imagined possible. He was possibly the most powerful ninja out there…at 18. Even Itachi couldn't have said that about himself. Until Sasuke had killed him, he'd been the most fearsome ninja around. So Sasuke took his place, though no one besides the Sound knew where he was or if he was even alive. He liked it that way too. It kept the dramas down to a minimum and that meant only Orochimaru was chased now and then. No one in the outside world had any idea who really pulled the strings around here.

His attention snapped back to Sakura and the Sound nin as she threw her arms around him in an affection embrace – one only close friends or teammates should be subject to. He grimaced as he realized he had been one of those teammates and he'd repeatedly pushed her away.

Nevertheless…

He transported himself right next to Sakura and took some perverse pleasure from the way she immediately jumped out of the Sound nin's arms as he said her name.

She looked up at him, half guiltily, half defiant. The other Sound nin just looked terrified. In fact, Sasuke was sure he'd pee his pants if he looked in his direction. But for now his focus was entirely on Sakura.

"What are you doing?"

He could see her struggling with her response. She didn't know if it was wise to deface him in public, even if the only other person around was probably too scared to realize they were even talking.

She smiled up at him with an entirely fake, sweet smile. "Oh,_Uchiha-sama_, I was just having a friendly chat with Omri here! Is that a problem?"

The nin called Omri snapped up in attention at the mention of his name. He briefly turned my attention to him. He was ready to run. That much was obvious. Really, the state of ninja these days was just appalling. He was probably younger than Omri, and yet Omri was scared of _him_. It was quite laughable, really, but that would have destroyed his appearance.

"You are dismissed, ninja, but do not let me catch you in the midst of unnecessary flirtations again. Or maybe it might be better if I don't see you at all because I might be in the mood to kill something. The only reason I don't do it now is because Sakura-chan here might be a little horrified by the sight of so much blood." This was ridiculous because Sakura was a medic. An experienced medic. Seeing blood was probably like seeing water to her. But Omri didn't know that and scampered off.

Sasuke offered his hand to Sakura who made a point of ignoring it and stood up on her own. Sasuke repressed a sigh. He tries to do something nice and he gets shunned for his efforts. He had spared the guy's life! Omri definitely knew how lucky he'd gotten off, but it wouldn't do to kill Omri anyway because that would show that he had a weakness for Sakura when he didn't. He just didn't like flirting in the compound. It was incredibly distracting and completely unnecessary.

Sakura looked around the compound to check if anyone was around. Upon seeing that it was suitable empty she gave him one of her death glares (which he was fast becoming immune to).

"You know, you could have been a little nicer! He didn't do anything, you know! _I _hugged_him_!"

A fact he didn't need to be reminded of (he'd returned the hug anyway).

"Sakura, it wasn't the hug. You can hug whoever you damn well want to, but just not here. 'Nice' isn't part of a Sound nin's vocabulary and neither is 'hug.' The sooner you grasp that the better for your safety. If you keep doing stuff like that, I won't always be around to keep the guy from being killed. Believe it or not, some people are even more ruthless than me; they just don't know it and I don't plan on letting them. This isn't Konoha. Remember that."

Sakura just blinked at him. She probably wasn't accustomed to hearing him speak so much. It made him feel uncomfortable. He didn't think he'd ever said so many words to her at one given time. Politics had loosened his mouth a little.

"Okay."

Well, at least she understood _that_.

Without warning her, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up against him, ignoring how alien the sensation felt, and transported them back to his room. Sakura instantly fell back onto his bed with a 'whoosh.' He looked away, the sight of her there being far too weird.

"You could have warned me first!"

He ignored her. Hopefully she'd shut up. Not likely.

"So why did you hit me in front of Orochimaru?"

She tried to sound nonchalant, but he could hear the dangerous undertones of anger laced in her voice.

"For the same reason I threatened your little friend. Appearances. If I let you talk to me like that in front of anyone, Orochimaru would have been far too suspicious. It's better if they don't know we were ever formally associated."

"Wow, the Sound did something I could never do."

He gave her a bored look, like he wasn't at all interested in her answer, because he wasn't, and wished she'd just shut up. Of course she continued anyway.

"They sure brought out your talkative side, though that's nothing compared to-"

"Normal people, yes I get it." he cut her off, hoping she'd get the hint and stop talking. He had too much to think about without having to try to ignore her incessant blabbering.

But she just pouted and continued in typical Sakura fashion.

"You know what you're problem is?"

Sasuke awarded her with a look for her efforts at being incredibly annoying.

"I'm sure you can think of more than one. And one of them is you. So maybe you can sit still and shut up for 5 minutes thinking about all my problems while I think about how I can avoid not waking up with a slit throat."

He couldn't remember a time when he'd been so…irritated. Stupid Sakura. Everything got unbearable when she was around. Her proximity kept reminding him of Konoha and everything he'd left behind…

Unable to stand being in her presence anymore, he walked out and slammed the door behind him with a resonating thump.

---

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and pouted like a child. She knew it wasn't very mature of her or particularly becoming, but hell, she didn't care. She was in the Sound for Kami's sake! And how dare Sasuke patronize _her_ about complaining when he'd been the one to drag her ass there in the first place (she still wonder how exactly he'd gotten back here so fast. Either Sound was really close, which was unlikely, or he just knew some really cool jutsu that she didn't. Probably the latter)!

And the fact that she was seeing him again did little to calm her frayed nerves. Seeing Sasuke again was like finding a favorite old teddy bear you'd forgotten about (but secretly longed to hold in the middle of the night) and then upon rediscovering it, struggled to decide whether or not you'd out-grown it. Even if you _really, really_ wanted to out-grow it, maybe it was stuck with you, like an extra appendage you never wanted and if you cut it off the bleeding would never stop and you'd die a slow, horrible, painful, lonely death.

**Wow, Sakura! Lay off the melodramatics! I think my ears have started to bleed!**

At least Sasuke's would be if she'd said what she'd thought out loud. And she didn't think he'd particularly like being compared to a lost teddy bear. She could picture his smirk of utter bewilderment and annoyance. At least she always knew what to expect from him so she could prepare herself beforehand and not be completely betrayed by her emotions like the last time he'd left. That's the only reason she could cope being with him now. The only thing that had shocked her was his hand colliding with her face. But she was prepared for that one too, now, and, most importantly, knew how to side-step it (he hit _hard_ and he probably wasn't even using even a bit of his full strength).

Nope, Sasuke was the complete bipolar to a teddy. Teddies were warm and soft and you could cuddle them without having to fear that it'll push you away and sneer in disgust. Teddies didn't make you cry…unless you lost them, which wasn't their fault at all. They sure didn't walk off and leave without a trace or indication that they weren't ever coming back. No, Sasuke was about as warm and cuddly as a fridge. Probably worse coz the fridge didn't push you away. And a fridge didn't scowl all the time. Though…if anyone could make a scowl look good, it was Sasuke. She didn't think she'd ever be entirely immune to that aspect of him (it was easier not to think about it when he wasn't in the same bedroom as you). That boy was just too damn sexy for his own good. She wondered how many of the female Sound nins secretly crushed on their fearsome leader. Quite a damn few, she'd bet. Not _all_ of them could be lesbians (well, that was the only excuse she could think of for their alarmingly crude appearance).

Sakura sighed and walked to the window, studying the crude territory and splayed in front of her eyes. She was definitely a long way from home. Only Sasuke would be able to take her back. That was about as likely as him falling in love with her. Not freaking likely. Not Sasuke. He put learning new jutsus over the freedom of a former teammate. How predictable.

_Damn, my head hurts._

---

When Sasuke finally returned from training, Sakura was asleep. No doubt trying to recover from the hangover she would have had. A ninja shouldn't drink. They should remain alert at all times. Maybe if Sakura had understood that she wouldn't be here right now, though he seriously doubted she could have gotten away from him. No one did.

Sakura moaned as she rolled over in his bed. Now that wasn't an image he didn't need. Sakura moaning in his bed. She'd even gone under the covers!

He wasn't sure where he was supposed to sleep. He'd been awake since he'd brought Sakura here at 3 a.m. last night. After his vigorous training that afternoon, he wanted to sleep. If he was tired, he wasn't alert. But he sure as hell wasn't going to sleep in that bed with her in it! Knowing Sakura, she'd probably end up sprawling herself all over him and when he woke up she'd probably try to beat him into a pulp for 'taking advantage' of her. He smirked at the thought that she probably would have had a heart attack all those years ago if they shared the same bed. Now she'd probably try to kill him. Still, he wasn't completely sure he didn't have _any_ affect whatsoever on Sakura. She did seem to grow nervous whenever he got close to her and tried to get herself away as soon as possible. It was because she didn't trust herself while being that close to him.

_Hm…perhaps I can use that in the future._

Nevertheless, he needed a shower and he needed to sleep. He felt weird having a shower with Sakura in the next room, in his bed. It was far too…intimate for his liking. She was seriously imposing on his personal space. He didn't know why he hadn't gotten her another room yet. He'd have to see to that tomorrow.

He took his time in the shower, trying to figure out how he could sleep. The floor seemed like the most logical option. How so very comfortable. But it wasn't any worse than sleeping on a hard dirt floor on missions. Not like he had any real reason to go on missions anymore. He only took a few now and then to relieve his boredom and the stress of maintaining his position of authority, though he could never be away for long. Orochimaru took every opportunity given to him. He'd certainly try again once his arms were healed. That did not bother Sasuke. Orochimaru could hurt him, yes, but Sasuke could hurt Orochimaru far worse. Orochimaru knew that. He didn't want to die yet. He wanted to live forever. Not that Sasuke had plans of letting him live any longer than he needed him to. He despised that snake for all the torture he'd put him through with the curse seal. He smirked as he remembered the look on Orochimaru's face when he found out Sasuke had overcome it. Priceless. No doubt Orochimaru would try to preserve his life for as long as possible while trying to overthrow Sasuke at the same time. At times Sasuke could only just barely keep himself from killing that thing, but he needed him. He needed him as cover and he needed him for jutsus. If he killed Orochimaru, everyone would wonder who did it and would attack Sound if they thought it was in a time of turmoil. Not that he couldn't handle that; it would just completely blow his cover. The fighting would probably be a refreshing challenge. If it weren't for the fact that he wanted to remain anonymous, he'd heal Orochimaru's arms to fight him just for a challenge and then declare war on all of the Villages at once. That would be the ideal battle. He hadn't had a proper challenge since he'd killed Itachi and the Ataksuki. And that had been two years ago. It was after that he'd surpassed Orochimaru's power. And even with Itachi dead, the consuming surge of power was enough to entice him to want more. He understood some of what Itachi had felt, why he'd killed the Uchiha clan, but that didn't make Sasuke hate him any less and he sure didn't go around killing his family (ignoring the fact they were all dead anyway). His likeness to his brother freaked him out to no end, so he just ignored it.

Sighing, he stepped out of the shower and dressed, foregoing the shirt. He quickly towel-dried his hair, pretending to forget the fact that Sakura had used that same towel earlier that day. He left his hair sticking up and studied his appearance in the mirror. He rarely ever saw his reflection because he hardly cared what he looked like. But seeing Sakura again had sparked some curiosity. Did he look all that different from when she last saw him? It had been 6 years. He must have changed a bit. He certainly had some scares that accounted for the years. One of which still caused him pain today. The only medic they'd had in Sound was Kabuto, and Sasuke had killed him long ago. Sound nin learned to tolerate pain.

Sakura sure had changed. She didn't fawn all over him for one thing. He didn't know what to make of that. He sure as hell didn't miss it, but now he didn't really know how to act around her. When she wouldn't leave him alone, he just had to push her away. Now she can hardly stand the sight of him. Was he supposed to treat her in the same manner as before and fuel her hatred or try to make her time here bearable? Why should he care anyway? And then there was the issue of her physical development. He always remembered her as a blushing, flat-chested, big-fore-headed 12-year-old girl with no shape whatsoever. But that was only to be expected. She had been 12. Now she was 18 and had plenty of curves to call her own. The only things that hadn't changed about her physical appearance was her pink hair, which was the same as when she'd cut it, her big, green eyes, and her large forehead. Except the short haircut made her look sophisticated instead of scruffy, her eyes seemed as though they bore into your soul (as much of a soul as he had left anyway), and she'd grown into the large forehead, making her look more intelligent. He wished she hadn't changed at all. Then he'd know what to do with her. And he highly doubted she'd heal Orochimaru's arms (if it were even possible). She hated him, she hated Orochimaru, she hated Sound, and she loved her village and everyone in it. He didn't want to think of what Orochimaru would try. He didn't want to get involved with her while she was here. He wanted to see as little of her as possible, reducing her to just a medic there to heal Orochimaru. One he didn't notice and didn't know which is why he had to get her out of his room as soon as possible. He couldn't avoid her if she was in his bed every night and used his shower every morning.

He walked out of the adjoining bathroom and retrieved his sleeping bag from one of his drawers. If he had to sleep on the floor, so be it. He didn't care. Sleep was sleep. I didn't matter where you were (unless you were in the same bed as a pink-haired medic-nin). As he glimpsed at Sakura on his bed, he noticed this was the first time she'd really seemed at peace since he'd seen her again. She was still the same, cheerful Sakura (as he'd noted while she was talking to that Sound nin), but it always seemed like there was this shadow over her character. That was probably because of him and because she had seen him again. She'd obviously accepted the fact that he was never coming back a long time ago. All the better for her. He hadn't been planning too, but of course plans change. Nothing he could do about it for now but get her a different room.

He took a pillow from the side of the bed he usually slept on (being incredibly grateful that Sakura was on the other side and not using his pillow) and settled on the floor. He stared at the cold blue ceiling while contemplating the interesting turn his life had taken.


	4. Beds and Boredom

**Four: Beds and Boredom**

_Four days later…_

Naruto slammed his hand down on the Hokage's desk.

"This isn't good enough! What if Sakura's dying right now! Don't you care?"

Tsunade stood a glared angrily at Naruto.

"Watch your words, fox. Sakura has been my apprentice for years. I care about her as much as you do. Don't you _dare_suggest otherwise."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, trying to regain control.

"Then why are we still here talking? Kami knows where she is!"

Tsunade sat back down again and rubbed her forehead with two fingers, massaging her scalp.

"Naruto, we don't know where she is. It is unwise to tramp around other countries without permission looking for a missing ninja when we don't even know what we're up against. Think for a second! If we just blindly rush into a situation that could be over our heads, we could be killing Sakura by that action alone! We must be careful about this! If you really want to help, you can join a tracking team which is trying to locate her scent, her trail. So far we've picked up nothing. Kiba is baffled. It's like she disappeared out of thin air…"

Tsunade trailed off and suddenly sat up straight.

"But of course! How stupid of me!"

Naruto excitedly leaned towards the Hokage.

"What? WHAT?"

"Whoever kidnapped her must have used a transportation jutsu to get them where ever they wanted to go. You have to be quite skilled to know how to perform one of those without completely depleting your chakra levels…or be very strong. Of course, it all depends on the distance. She could be anywhere."

Naruto's excitement faded when they realized they were no closer to finding out where Sakura was.

"Well, at least we'll no longer waste our time by tracking her by smell."

Naruto struggled to contain his worry. Sakura was gone. His Sakura. He had let her down once before when he'd left, he wasn't going to abandon her again. As much as Sakura denied it, he knew she was a mess after he'd left too. She'd told him to go, so he'd gone, but when he'd returned she was different. Sure, she was still happy and bright and cheery, but then there were these times when she was downright dark and cold and it scared him. It was only when someone said Sasuke's name that that happened…

Wait.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade looked up at him suspiciously. He never showed her respect unless he was about to do something he shouldn't.

"What are you thinking, Naruto?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head with one hand. "He he, oh nothing. Bye." And with a flash he was out of the room and in Sakura's apartment.

There was no one there. He guessed they'd gotten all the evidence they'd needed. But he was grateful they hadn't disturbed anything. All was exactly how it was the night she'd disappeared.

As he looked around slowly, he noticed the stain on the wall that dripped down to the floor. Walking over, he smelt it and recoiled instantly. Sake. _Strong_ sake. But why would Sakura drink sake? She didn't drink, did she? And even if she did, why would she throw a bottle at a wall? Unless she was really angry which meant she must have been in one of those scary moods.

Thinking carefully, he walked towards the kitchen counter where a stool had been knocked over…or kicked over coz it had a dent in it. It was only a plastic stool so Sakura could definitely kick through that, but if she was in a destroying mood, her apartment would be a lot worse that this. There would be more than sake on the wall and the stool would be in tiny pieces. This must have been someone else.

Naruto sniffed again, trying to get past the smell of strong sake. Whoever had kidnapped her had probably been counting on the sake to cover his scent, which was probably why he threw the bottle against the wall. But that wouldn't matter in this case if he'd used a transportation jutsu like the old woman Hokage had said. So maybe he was trying to cover up his scent for a different reason.

But what reason would that be?

Naruto sat on the couch as he tried to think. He'd never been good at problem solving or figuring things out. That was Sakura's area. And when they were in team 7, that Sasuke bastard looked through all the jutsus while Sakura told all the boring explanations.

He froze.

Sasuke.

He would be trying to hide his scent if he thought it would be recognized. If he knew that Sakura had Naruto as a friend and that Naruto would look for her and that Naruto would recognize his smell. And the only smell Naruto was familiar with of anyone outside the village was Sasuke. Even after all these years, he'd never forget a scent. Not one like Sasuke's anyway. Not after he'd spent so long with him. And Sasuke would have known Naruto had the nine-tail fox in him so he'd be able to smell it. And that was why Sakura wasn't back yet. She was with Sasuke. That was the only reason she hadn't fought back. She'd fight back in any other instance and the whole village would know she was being captured by the sheer noise of it. But Naruto didn't know if she'd fight Sasuke. It was the only explanation. And if Sasuke was still alive, that meant he had killed his brother and was Orochimaru's body (which was unlikely because Sasuke would never let some gross snake guy take over his body) or he hadn't killed his brother and was still trying to get strong enough to fight him. But knowing Sasuke and his determination, Naruto thought he would have been plenty powerful enough by now. He had been studying under Orochimaru after all! So that couldn't be it. He must have killed his brother! So what was he doing now? And why did he want Sakura? If Sasuke took her, does that mean she was at the Sound (Naruto shuddered at the thought) and if so, where the hell _was_ the Sound anyway!

Naruto growled as he tried to figure out the mess in his head.

"Figures you _have_ to make things so difficult, bastard!"

And how dare Sasuke bastard take Sakura away! Wasn't he the one who'd just walked out without a word? He was the one who had left Sakura in such a mess! And if Sakura was with him now…

_Oh no!!!_

How was she going to cope with that! She'd practically denied his existence since he'd come back! She never even let herself say his name and he'd just suddenly appeared before her!

_She needs me._

Naruto scrambled off back to the Hokage's office with more haste than he used to get to the ramen bar.

---

The Sound was most possibly the most boring place Sakura had ever been to. All people did here was fight, eat, and sleep. Generally in that order. They didn't socialize other than to fight (which took up a good 80 of their time) and eat and then they went off to their respective beds and rooms and slept until the next morning when they repeated the cycle. And it never changed until they got a mission. Hell, if Sakura had to put up with that lifestyle, even she'd be ecstatic at the prospect of killing someone just for something to do! No wonder everyone was so mean and rough here!

And what had she been doing for the past four days? Well, she'd woken up to find Sasuke on the floor, shirtless, and just stared at him for a few minutes before she had a shower and put on the same clothes she'd worn before until Sasuke woke up and practically threw this old medic uniform at her (apparently he was not a morning person. Or maybe that was just because he'd had to sleep on the floor). Then he told her in about two words to get dressed so they could go to see Orochimaru (and she was again floored by his _amazing_ social skills). He dumped her with that snake without a word and she'd been there for 3 hours while he just sat there, looking at her. She would have thought he'd have better things to do with his time, but apparently not so. If he had been trying to intimidate her, it wasn't working. It was just creepy. He didn't have to stare at her for 3 hours to make her feel that. Then she'd been taken away by some aloof ninja to the lunch room (apparently everyone had lunch together which was really weird) and sat at a table all by herself, looking for Sasuke and wondering if eating went on his list of 'things not to do' with talking. Then Sasuke came and took her to his room (without uttering a word, besides "Let's go") and she'd sat there until he'd come in with dinner. He'd gone out again and she fell asleep on his bed again. And that cycle had repeated.

So all she pretty much did was sit down and either had freaky snake men stare at her or just her reflection in the bathroom mirror (she had started studying every little part of her appearance in her extreme boredom in an attempt to note any chances in her overall appearance without the use of skin products or hair care products). She'd rather be doing something useful like healing someone (besides Orochimaru. The day she touched him was the day she started peeing flowers. Though she should feel a bit guilty about healing other Sound nins that were intent on helping the destruction of the world or whatever it is they trained for) or training herself. She could stomach the morning stare ritual with Orochimaru (she'd learned to practically ignore him now) so she should be able to train in the afternoon with the other Sound nin maybe. The thought of kicking their asses sounded like fun and a great stress reliever. And she'd probably be put with lesser ninjas because everyone thought she was some weak little girl (at least until she punched craters in the ground) and she'd just use them as punching bags which wasn't mean really coz Sound nin thrived on physical pain and she could always heal them after. No doubt Sasuke still thought she was an incapable, weak little girl ninja who just got in the way. Yeah, well things had changed. She'd trained far too hard to be considered weak by anyone, least of all that arrogant bastard Sasuke. He'd barely said five words to her in four days! Every time she tried to talk to him or insult him, he'd just go about his business like she wasn't even there! She usually fell asleep out of sheer boredom before he ever came back, but she was determined to stay awake this time and ask him about the training and why she hadn't moved rooms yet (she didn't like waking up every morning to find him shirtless on the floor. It was far too much of a distraction than she liked to admit). She'd asked him before, but he'd simply ignored her. But this time she simply wouldn't let him get any sleep until he answered her. She was sick of being treated like she wasn't even there! And to think he wanted her to _heal_ Orochimaru's arms! Right!

---

Sasuke was surprised to see Sakura still awake as he walked into his room. She was usually long asleep by now, probably out of sheer boredom. Not his fault. She wasn't here to be entertained, she was here to heal Orochimaru's arms and if she didn't do that, she didn't do anything. Yet it was midnight and she was still awake.

"Sasuke."

He ignored her. He found that to be the easiest way to suffer through her presence.

"I want to ask you something."

He shrugged as he walked towards the bathroom door.

"Ask, though I may not answer it."

Then he shut the bathroom door, cutting off her chances to reply. No doubt she'd be furious about that. Like he cared. It wasn't his fault she was annoying.

He made his shower longer than usual, not being able to resist the opportunity to infuriate Sakura even more. She was amusing when she was angry, and did this cute, little pout…

_Bad train of thought._

He shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, suddenly realizing that he was so intent on ignoring Sakura he'd forgotten to get some clean clothes. He groaned.

_Well that's just great._

He couldn't wear his old clothes. They were dirty and dusty and covered in blood (none of it his own). He had no choice but to walk out there with a towel. He shrugged. If Sakura could do it, so could he.

He wrapped the towel around his waist tightly and stepped into the rooming, immediately noticing the way Sakura froze at the sight of him. He smirked to himself. She may hate some of _him_, but she sure didn't hate his body. Without a second glance at her, he walked to his drawers and fished out a pair of clean underwear and shorts. He was almost at the bathroom door when he felt a light hand on his bare shoulder. The sudden attack of what felt like electricity pulsating through his body took him by surprise and he swung around and caught the offending hand in his own, waiting for the shocks to disappear. They didn't, which just made him angrier.

"_What._" He hissed out between his teeth.

Sakura's round eyes narrowed. "You're not walking away from me again." She said coldly.

Sasuke's obsidian eyes narrowed to match hers.

"In case you haven't noticed, I need to get dressed. Unless you want me to do it right here."

He enjoyed the fact that Sakura's pale face paled even further at the suggestion.

"Thought not." He dropped her hand and paused at the bathroom door.

"And Sakura?" he said after his gaze quickly dropped to the hand that was still tingling from when her hand had been in his. "Don't touch me again."

---

Sakura stood staring at the bathroom door in shock. From the minute Sasuke had walked out of that very same bathroom door a churning feeling had started in her chest and had slowly moved its way to permeate every part of her body for every second he stood there in that towel. And she'd almost sighed at the feel of her hand on his bare shoulder until he'd grabbed it. That didn't make the feeling go away either. She couldn't even remember to be angry at him for being so rude. All she could focus on was her hand in his.

_What is wrong with me?_

**Shirtless Sasuke, that's what.**

And no wonder. A guy that good looking should be locked up! The girls here must have amazing discipline if they could keep themselves away from _that_! His body was all lean muscles and smooth skin (only broken by the odd scare that made him look even more appealing in that dangerous sort of way). She could not help but be transfixed by the way those muscles moved as he did. Sure, she'd seen him shirtless in his bed on the floor, but the sleeping bag always covered those heavenly abs and he was always dressed by the time she'd gotten out of the shower. But now that she'd seen him emerge from the bathroom in nothing but a towel as if it were the most natural thing in the world (until she'd touched him anyway), she couldn't seem to get the image out of her mind.

_Damn Uchiha with his damn muscles._

When he came out of the bathroom again, he was still shirtless. She didn't know whether to be angry or happy about that. It sure was harder to be angry at him when he stood there in all his masculine glory, but damn, what glory it was!

"Like I said before you rudely slammed the door in my face, I have a question."

He just stood there looking at her as if she'd sprouted a horn. She almost moved her hand there to check. But since he wasn't telling her to shut the hell up, she saw this as a good sign and continued.

"I have been getting really bored and have absolutely nothing to do-"

"You do have something to do."

"Yeah, like you actually expect me to heal Orochimaru's arm."

"It would be something to do."

As gorgeous as he may be, he wasn't getting her that easily.

"We both know that no amount of boredom is going to make me want to heal Orochimaru's arms."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in what must have been annoyance. "Then why are you still talking?"

Sakura returned his glare. "Because I want to train. Just because you want me to heal Orochimaru's arms doesn't mean you should prevent me from training. I _need_ to train; otherwise my skills will suffer for it."

Sasuke still didn't answer so she hoped he was thinking about it.

"Besides, what does it matter? You can't _punish_me for not wanting to heal Orochimaru's arms by keeping me bored."

"Sure I can."

No give, eh? Well, she'd just have to pull out her final card.

"Well, either way, I'm not going to give this up, Sasuke. I will pester you and pester you until you let me. It won't interrupt my morning stare routine with Orochimaru anyway. I can just train in the afternoon."

"And who do you suppose you would train with?"

Sakura shrugged, hiding her pleasure at Sasuke's change in position. "Anyone. Doesn't bother me."

"Fine, just don't get in anyone's way."

Meaning don't get in his way. Not a problem, if she wasn't sleeping in his room still.

"And Sasuke?"

"What." She heard him say from his bed on the floor. She hadn't even noticed he'd gone there (she was too busy have a private little victory dance in her had). She flopped down over the bed and leaned over the left side so she could see him.

"Why am I still here, in this room?"

Sasuke looked visibly annoyed and shut his eyes while putting his arms behind his head. "Sakura, I have better things to do than find you a room. Now shut up and go to sleep."

"Yeah, I'm sure you do, but isn't this arrangement more of an inconvenience to you? I mean, you're the one who has to sleep on the floor and you're the one who's in potential danger if anyone finds out I'm here."

Sasuke groaned and turned on his side with his back to her. "I thought I told you to shut up."

Sakura sighed, seeing the subject was closed. Whatever. It wasn't her ass that was on the line and she got to sleep in the bed (no matter that it was his bed. That thought was unsettling enough without her having to think on it further. She still hadn't gotten used to the fact that this was the bed in which he'd spent so many of his nights). If he couldn't be bothered finding her a new place to sleep then that was his problem.

She was too tired to argue anyway. Arguing with Sasuke had always taken so much out of her. If only he was always as peaceful as he looked when he was asleep.


	5. Bras and Scars

**Five: Bras and Scars**

Sasuke woke with a start. It didn't surprise him anymore. That was how he always woke because he'd always had the same dream ever since he'd killed Itachi. It was a dream of their fight, except this time things hadn't gone his way. In the dream, Itachi was stronger than him and as Sasuke lay dying on the ground, Itachi leaned over him, snarling, and said "_After all this time and you still weren't strong enough. Imagine what Mother and Father would think. Imagine how disappointed they'd be. How pathetic._" And it was at that point he woke up.

The fact that Itachi still haunted him when he was gone disturbed him. He_had_ killed Itachi. He _had_ his revenge. He _wasn't_a disappointment. He_was_ more powerful. And yet the dreams continued.

He sighed and wondered when Sakura would get up so he could leave. She usually woke up quite early. She was obviously accustomed to strange hours.

He decided to use this time to pick up her washed uniform and get rid of her dirty one. He didn't know if she'd ever questioned how a clean uniform appeared on the foot of her bed every morning. Maybe she'd just accepted it and decided not to ask, which was wise of her. He sure as hell wouldn't tell her even if she did ask. She didn't need to know that every morning Sasuke took her pile of dirty clothes which she left at the side of the bed and put them in his laundry chute. He had his personal one seeing as he didn't want his clothes to be washed with anyone else's. He had his own laundry person, though he'd never seen them before in his life. He simply put clothes down the chute and they reappeared on top of the dumbbell later that day. All he did was include Sakura's clothes with his. If the laundry person found this strange, they knew better than to question it. He didn't know why he did this for Sakura. Maybe it was because he understood how uncomfortable it was to wear the same clothes over and over again. She wouldn't know what to do. He hadn't when he'd first arrived here so had been forced to wash his one pair of clothes in the bathroom sink and wear them damp until they dried on their own. And if he just left Sakura to do that she'd probably yell at him for not giving her any other clothes anyway. So it was better to just do it without her knowing. That way she wouldn't annoy him.

Maybe that was why he still kept her in his room. He wouldn't be able to put her clothes in his chute if she didn't. Until last night he'd had no problem avoiding her anyway. He'd wake up and put her clothes in the chute, pretend to sleep until she woke up (which was never too much later), dress while she was in the shower, take her to Orochimaru without talking to her, and stay away from her until that night when he gave her dinner (all she'd mutter was thank you and he'd just walk away) and later that night when she was usually asleep anyway.

Or maybe it was something else entirely. His mind briefly flashed to last night at the feeling that her hand on his bare skin had aroused.

No. All Sakura was to him was a medic. A tool. Just like everyone else.

He crawled back into his sleeping bag and shut his eyes, feigning sleep. He didn't really know why he waited for Sakura to wake up. It was probably because she'd most likely yell at him for waking her up to go see that snake. He'd rather pretend to be asleep than put up with that. It was so annoying. She'd always be annoying. Now it was just in a different way.

He heard her stir and figured this was about the time when she'd start staring at him for a couple of minutes. He didn't really know why she did this, but he figured it was one of two reasons. One being she was trying to figure out a way to chop of his balls without waking him up. Two being she was just staring at him because he didn't have a shirt on. Judging from the way she'd reacted to him last night when he'd been in the towel, he was betting it was the second reason. He almost smirked. He was almost about to say something to her to see her shock, but she got up and walked into the bathroom instead.

---

As Sakura put on her clothes, she absentmindedly wondered how a clean set appeared at the foot of her bed every morning and how the dirty ones disappeared. She had been tempted to ask Sasuke about it, but what was the point? He'd probably ignore her anyway and who was she to question clean clothes? Now all she needed was underwear and toiletries. As surprisingly comfortable as the old medic uniform was, it would be a whole lot more comfortable if she had a bra and panties to put underneath it. Sure, she liked feeling free, but that was just a little bit _too_ free. She was always afraid she'd fall over and everyone would see up her skirt. She needed a hairbrush. She'd tried to pry out the knots in her hair with her fingers the best she could, but it didn't do much. She needed shampoo and conditioner. Sasuke didn't have any because he probably couldn't care less about stuff like that and even if she did, he'd definitely get really angry if she used it. She needed a toothbrush. She tried cleaning her teeth as much as possible by using her finger and Sasuke's toothpaste (he hadn't seemed to notice any difference), but she could practically feel the bacteria running a muck inside her mouth. And most of all she needed pads or tampons, because her period was coming up soon and this medic uniform was white. Not good. She constantly looked for opportunities to acquire these items (especially the pads and/or tampons), but nothing had yet to present itself. She sure couldn't ask Sasuke. Talk about awkward! But she supposed it'd be even more awkward if a red spot suddenly appeared on the back of her skirt. She knew there had to be stuff like that somewhere. There were girls in this compound after all. She just had to find where they put it. She should have gone sneaking around in one of her boring afternoons, but this place was a maze and she didn't want to get lost because then Sasuke would find out she had left the room and then he'd never let her train. So she had no choice. If she couldn't find a way to get what she needed today she'd have no choice but to ask Sasuke. It wasn't her fault she was in this precarious position anyway! He was the one who'd brought her here! But it'd still most possibly be the most embarrassing thing she'd ever endured. More embarrassing than Sasuke seeing her in nothing but a towel. More embarrassing than Sasuke seeing her sitting on her kitchen counter drinking out of a sake bottle.

She walked out of the bathroom as Sasuke was putting a black t-shirt over his head. She noticed his stiff movements on the left side of his body where there was a particularly large, red scar that'd she'd noticed before.

"I could help you with that you know."

The words were out of Sakura's mouth before she realized what she was doing. The words were just so natural to her. She was used to helping people when she saw they were in pain, no matter who they were (unless it was Orochimaru. But then again, Sasuke wasn't much better than Orochimaru, albeit less creepy, so that didn't explain why she wanted to heal him).

Sasuke gave her a bored look. "Thank you, but I'm perfectly able to dress myself."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I don't me that, I mean that scar."

Sasuke looked at her curiously, which he never did. He was probably wondering why she was offering to help him. She didn't know the answer to that herself.

He lifted up his shirt to reveal the angry, red scar (and some delicious abs as well). "You mean this scar."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. It seems to be causing you some pain."

Sasuke dropped his shirt and shrugged. "I'm used to pain."

"That doesn't mean you have to live with it."

They stared at each other for a few moments while Sasuke probably tried to figure out her intentions.

"So what are _you_ planning to do about it?"

He was obviously implying that he didn't think she could do anything at all. For someone who had brought her here to heal almost impossibly damaged arms, he sure did have little faith in her medical abilities.

"I can take away the scar and the pain with it."

She presented it as a challenge and wondered if Sasuke would accept. She wanted to prove she wasn't as pathetic as he thought.

"Fine, I don't care."

Sakura hid her smile. He was obviously curious as to how exactly she planned to mend it.

"Ok, I need you to take your shirt off and sit down on the bed."

He pulled his shirt off somewhat stiffly and sat down without a word. Sakura sat on the bed to his left and crossed her legs.

"Okay, let's see what the problem is here."

She placed her hands on his scar, ignoring his flinch (it must have hurt more than she first thought), and used her chakra to determine the level of damage.

"What has happened here is that whatever weapon - which I am assuming was a katana - inflicted the flesh wound also cut through a lot of muscle, ligaments and tendons. Normally stitching the wound up and letting them put themselves back together would fix the problem and all you'd only be left with a scar. But it seems in this case they were not given time to heal, therefore creating permanent damage where they were cut."

"I was in the middle of a fight when it happened. It couldn't exactly say 'oh, wait, we need to stop now. I have to let my muscles, ligaments and tendons put themselves back together."

Sakura smiled wryly. It seemed Sasuke had picked up a sense of sarcasm over the years. "Well, then you're lucky the weapon didn't pierce any organs. You'd probably be dead by now if that had happened, even if you could continue fighting at the time."

Sasuke didn't remark so she continued.

"How long ago did this happen?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes." It didn't really; she just wanted to know how long he'd lived with this.

"Two years."

That was quite a long time for someone to put up with permanently torn muscles and still become more powerful than Orochimaru. Impressive.

"You should have gotten a medic to put this back together a long time ago."

"We don't have medics here."

Right. No doubt he'd killed Kabuto long ago. Hell, she would've.

"Okay, well all I have to do is-"

"I don't care what you have to do, just do it."

Well, someone was impatient! She was healing him for crying out loud! Part of her wanted to make it worse for the sake of it, but it probably wouldn't be worth the aftermath sure to follow in its wake.

Sakura shut her eyes as she felt the chakra put the muscles, ligaments and tendons back where they were supposed to be. A couple of years ago this would have taken her hours. Putting things such as muscles, ligaments, or tendons back together was extremely difficult. Mending bone took longer and more chakra because they were thicker and bigger, but the things surrounding the bones were much more intricate. Whoever was mending them had to be extremely careful to make sure that every single piece went back to where it was supposed to go. That's why medic nin had to have an inexhaustible knowledge of the human body; which is also why most medic nins specialized in certain areas. The only to medic nin to specialize in everything were the Hokage and herself. And it had taken a damn large amount of work to get her there.

After a few minutes she was done and removed her hands from the no longer existent scar. Sasuke rotated his arm without stiffness and Sakura knew she had done a good job.

"So?"

Sasuke looked down to where she was sitting next to him. "Whatever."

Sakura rolled her eyes as he stood up and put his shirt on. That was about as much approval as she'd get from him. Who cares? She didn't need him to acknowledge she'd done a good job. She had enough experience of her own to know she did.

Sasuke opened the door. "Well are you just going to sit there?"

Sakura sighed as she got up to follow him out.

_Damn Uchiha._

---

Sakura was really losing patience with this damn snake. The only reason she hadn't said anything to him yet was because he just completely freaked her out and she'd rather have him stare at her than hear that smooth-as-silk, pervy voice of his. If he didn't have better things to do, that was his business. She wasn't healing his arms either way. But still, she'd rather do something other than sit still on her ass for 3 hours. She always had to go the toilet afterwards which made it awkward for whatever guard was assigned to 'escort' her to the lunch room.

_It's nearly 12. He should be here soon._

They really did things here on the dot. She woke up at 9; Sasuke took her to Orochimaru at 9:15 (he'd never given her breakfast. She wasn't used to having breakfast anyway. She was usually slept until 9 at went to the hospital straight away without breakfast because she was supposed to start at 9. That's what she got for working overtime until the early hours of the morning most nights.), someone collected her at 12, took her to lunch, which was usually finished by 12:30, then Sasuke would come and take her to his room (he came at 12:30 whether she was finished or not), he came back to the room at around 6 and gave her dinner then disappeared until she fell asleep. So if the clock on the wall behind Orochimaru was correct (it would be a sin if it wasn't in Sound), the guard should be coming in any time.

3…2…1…

The door opened behind her as she heard footsteps cross the cement floor.

"Orochimaru-sama, I am here to take Miss Haruno."

She recognized that voice.

"Leave."

Sakura stood up, turned around and saw Omri standing a couple of meters behind her chair. Her mood brightened immediately. She knew Omri. He was nice. Her opportunity had just presented itself.

"This way, Miss Haruno."

Sakura meekly followed him out without a word until the door shut behind them. She finally let herself smile for the first time in a long time.

"Omri! You have no idea how happy I am to see you!"

Omri turned to her with none of the cheerfulness she'd seen those days ago. "Sakura…uh…Miss Haruno, I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to talk to you."

Her smile quickly disappeared. Of course. He had probably been instructed to not talk to the prisoner. And he was probably stilled freaked out about his brief encounter with Sasuke.

"Look, Omri, I know why you're not supposed to talk to me, and I hate asking this of you, but I'm desperate! I really need your help!"

She did feel bad about asking him to risk getting into serious trouble, but she didn't have much of a choice. It was either him or Sasuke.

Omri's face softened slightly.

"I can understand what you're going through, Sakura, but if I help you and I get caught, I'll be killed! They don't take disobedience lightly here! I'd probably get killed if they caught me talking to you even now!"

Sakura shut her eyes. It was a lost cause. She couldn't ask Omri to risk his life because she needed some tampons. She'd rather walk around with a red spot on the back of her skirt than have him executed because of her.

"You're right, I'm sorry, Omri. I can't ask that of you. It was selfish of me."

Omri paused beside her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Um…won't you get in trouble for that?"

Omri smiled at her. Sakura smiled back for no reason. She couldn't help it. "I just can't resist a damsel in distress."

"But I can't let you just risk your life for me!" Sakura protested.

He shrugged. "It's a weakness of mine. And there are not many damsels around here that are in distress. Actually, half of them could probably kick my ass. They're seriously scary. So who am I too argue with a perfectly presented opportunity?"

"But-" Sakura started to protest again, but Omri put his hand over her mouth.

"Sshh. No more arguing. My mind is made up. I may be a nice guy, but I can be quite stubborn. Now we need to get out of sight before someone sees us talking."

He took his hand from her mouth and grabbed her hand instead. He wordlessly pulled her through various corridors that all looked the same to Sakura before he found an old janitor's closet. He pulled her in and shut the door.

"So what is it you need help with, fair Sakura?"

Sakura giggled out of the sheer ludicrousness of the situation. Here she was in an ill-smelling janitor's closet scheming with a guy who she'd only met four days ago who could get killed for being in here with her. She seriously got herself in the weirdest situations.

"Stop laughing! Your knight in shining is risking his handsome head for your behalf!"

This just made her giggle more. How did this guy stay so positive in a place like this?

"Right, okay. Let's see. This is a most serious situation."

Omri nodded in dead seriousness, despite Sakura's jesting tone.

"You see, oh knight in shining armor with a handsome head," this made Omri smile, which she could see through the dark that invaded the closet, "I have no underwear."

Omri's smile widened, "Well, I see this is a most serious situation indeed."

This time it was Sakura's turn to nod seriously. "Oh yes, a matter of life and death indeed."

"And let me continue for you, fair Sakura. You would like me to help you acquire these evading underwear, am I right?"

Sakura feigned a shocked gasp, "And smart too? What _do_ you lack?"

"Murderous intent, but I think this place has its fair share."

"You're right about that! So seriously, Omri, you're going to help me get what I need?"

Omri shrugged in the darkness. "Sure, why not? I haven't had this much fun in years."

"Fun? You call risking your life fun?"

Omri shrugged again. "I'm a ninja. Risking my life is part of the job description. I risk my life every day that I'm here. This is Sound, after all. So why not risk my life for something fun?"

"If you call stealing underwear fun."

Omri laughed quietly, "Sure! I mean, fun here is killing someone. I much prefer stealing underwear."

Sakura smiled. "Well, if you're sure…"

Omri smiled back. "Oh, I'm sure."

"Then what's the plan?"

Omri tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, we'd have to do it now, because someone else gets you after lunch. And we'll have to do it fast, otherwise someone will wonder why the pink-haired medic isn't at lunch today and my superior might ask about it. And we'd have to get it to your room now as well because the next guard might ask questions."

The next guard was Sasuke and her room was Sasuke's, but she decided to leave that out because that might just make him nervous. She didn't want to burst his bubble of happiness.

"Sounds like a plan to me! So, do you know where to get it?"

Omri shrugged. "I'm assuming they'll be some in the girl's change rooms. We can just take some that look your size."

Sakura would prefer two pairs so she could wash them in the sink and put dry ones on, but at the moment she was grateful for anything at all. And maybe she could see to getting some other necessities while there. But underwear and pads or tampons were the most important (she didn't ask Omri about the pads because that would be a bit weird with any guy). She could always ask Sasuke about the other stuff. She'd just pester him until he gave it to her. It worked last night.

"Okay, so what we're going to do is I'll pretend I'm taking you to lunch. We'll act like before, you know, how we're supposed to, except I'll be leading you to the girl's change rooms instead. They'll all be at lunch so it'll be empty. Once you've gotten what you need, I'll take you to your room, you'll stash the stuff, and we'll hurry to the lunch room just in time for the next guy to pick you up. It'll take us approximately 1.5 minutes to get to the girls locker room. That will make the time 12:10. You'll have precisely 5 minutes to get what you need so you got to hurry. Your room is down the hall from Uchiha-sama's, correct?"

"Yes." Well, it was supposed to be anyway. She was pretty sure it was someone else's room coz the door was always locked.

"Well, that is in a higher section of the compound so it will take us about 5 minutes to walk there and stash your stuff, giving us 10 minutes to get to the lunch room. It's cutting it close, but I am confident we'll make it."

Sakura tried not to laugh at the way he was planning it, like it was an extremely dangerous mission. Well, in retrospect it probably was seeing as he could get killed for it. Killed for stealing underwear.

"How are we supposed to get into the girl's change rooms?"

"They should be unlocked so the girls can go in at any time during their training. They lock it up at midnight. I guess they never thought that people would want to steal underwear." He said, laughing. "But anyway, we need to get going if we're going to keep on schedule."

Omri shut his eyes. "Okay, the coast is clear."

"How did you do that?"

He shrugged. "I can sense people's chakra and how powerful it is."

No wonder he'd been so terrified of Sasuke's the other day. But then why didn't he sense it? She asked him the same question she'd asked herself.

Omri shrugged again. "It used to be different, but now I have to consciously sense it or they have to be really close. Besides, I was a little distracted at the time."

Sakura blushed as she remembered how she threw herself on him and hoped it was too dark for him to see.

"Why are you helping me really?"

He shrugged yet again. "Because I want to. Simple as that. I like helping people. I don't get the opportunity to do so here. Shall we go?"

"Oh, yeah, sure!"

As soon as they were out of the closet they put on their serious personas. Well, Sakura did anyway.

"This way, Miss Sakura."

"Miss Haruno, you mean." Sakura said while trying not to laugh.

"Yes, yes, of course! Miss Sakura. That's what I said." Omri winked at her as he straightened his back in a professional manner.

---

Approximately 1.5 minutes later Omri and Sakura arrived at the girl's change rooms. After Omri sensed that there was no other chakra present (a talent which was becoming quite useful), they entered.

It was one great room with showers on both ends and rows of lockers between them. It reminded Sakura of her academy days.

Omri shut the door behind them quietly. "Okay, you take the left and I'll take the right and we'll meet in the middle with our bounty. 3 minutes to gather bounty, 2 to sort it out and then we have to leave." He whispered. They didn't really need to whisper, but it kind of fit the mood.

Sakura looked at him curiously. "You're going to help me look for_underwear_?"

Omri shrugged. "Why not? I didn't come all this way to watch."

'All this way' was 1.5 minutes away but Sakura didn't feel the need to point that out. If he wanted to look, fine with her!

"Well, if we're both doing it, we might as well look for a toothbrush, a hairbrush, shampoo, and conditioner.""

Omri laughed aloud. "Why don't we just bring everything in sight while we're at it?"

Sakura put her hands on her hips. "Tut tut, no time to waste!"

He walked off laughing as Sakura went in the opposite direction.

Sakura hurried past lockers upon lockers. Luckily most of the girls had left a lot of their stuff on the benches in front of the lockers. She found quite a stash of all the things she needed, including a box of tampons.

Once they met in the middle they dumped their stashes on one of the benches.

"You have no idea how weird it is to steal girl's underwear."

Sakura laughed. "I can't imagine. It was weird enough for me and I'm a girl!"

Omri took charge. "Okay, you put all the shampoo, conditioner, and underwear in one pile. I'll put all the safe things like toothbrushes and hairbrushes in another pile."

Sakura quickly chose a good brand of reasonably full shampoo and conditioner and set to work on the underwear. She didn't know what was clean and what was dirty so she had to smell each one she picked up.

Sakura could help but laugh as she picked up a huge bra.

"Omri, did you honestly think I'd fit in this?"

He shrugged. "Aren't they all the same?"

This caused Sakura to laugh even harder. "These are huge!"

She threw them aside and picked a simple black bra that was her size. It smelt okay. Then she started on the panties. These weren't huge like some of the bras were. She figured all the girls here were petite (at least around the waist). Some were embarrassingly dirty.

When she'd finally found all she needed, they took a random bag and shoved everything in there.

"So what are we supposed to do with this stuff?" Sakura asked, indicating to the pile of things on the bench.

Omri cringed. "Crap, didn't think about that." He looked around. "Um, let's find a locker that's open and shove everything in there."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh. "Man, these girls are going to be pissed."

Omri laughed with her. "Chick fights. Sweet. All the guys in the compound will be celebrating!"

They ran off and Sakura yelled when she found an open locker. "I bet this poor girl's going to lock her locker all the time after this."

Omri appeared behind her with his arms full of stuff. "Sure is. Now quick, this stuff stinks!"

He shoved it in the locker and they ran out of the room and walked briskly to Sakura's 'room.' Sakura thought someone would walk past and wonder why they were practically running, but it was lunch time still. Everyone had lunch the same time here. There wasn't anyone around the halls. There must be cameras though. She looked around and saw none. Well, she supposed everyone feared Sasuke too much to do anything disobedient. Everyone besides the two idiots running to his room anyway.

They reached the door Sakura was usually delivered to and paused.

"Um…Omri? Could you please wait around the corner?"

Omri gave her a weird look but did what she asked without question. Sakura was grateful for that. He probably thought she must have a good reason for asking it and didn't waste time by asking her.

She quickly stepped into Sasuke's room and took the underwear out of the bag. She needed it now if she was going to train this afternoon. She changed as quickly as possible and stashed the bag under the bed, in case Sasuke returned that afternoon for some reason and wondered what that stuff was.

She ran around the corner to meet up with Omri, who was looking around nervously. "We have to hurry. Time's almost up."

"What took you so long?" He asked as soon as they were moving.

"I had to put the underwear on. I'm training this afternoon and I need it for that. Sorry."

Omri shrugged. "No problem, though it would have been interesting to watch you train without it."

"Oi!"

Omri laughed. "I'm joking! Now quick! We're almost there!"

Once they were around the corner from the lunch room, Sakura pulled Omri to a stop. When he looked at her curiously, she said, "Thank you so much for this."

He shrugged before she pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek.

When they pulled back Omri laughed, "I'd do it all over again for that!"

Sakura blushed and he took her hand and kissed it, which caused her to blush even more.

"Thank_you_, fair Sakura. You give me something to look forward to. Hopefully we will meet again soon."

Without another word they walked inside and Sakura sat down. Only two minutes later, Sasuke walked in. Omri froze as did the rest of the lunch room (as was the usual case when Sasuke walked in), but Sasuke didn't even seem to notice him or anyone (also as was the usual). His gaze dropped to the emptiness in front of Sakura. She refused to look nervous.

"What happened to your food?"

"I've already eaten."

He nodded once and started to walk off. Sakura got up and smiled once at Omri and he smiled back and winked before she rushed off, hoping Sasuke didn't notice the exchange. Well, he didn't notice her period so she was probably safe.

"So I'm training this afternoon, right?" She said as she struggled to keep up with Sasuke's fast pace.

"Hn."

"So…you're taking me there now?"

"Hn."

"Am I going to be able to wear proper training clothes?"

Sasuke briefly looked over her outfit.

"I don't care."

Knowing Sasuke, that was probably a yes.

"Thank you."

The last thing she wanted to do was thank Sasuke for anything after what he did to her and after he brought her here to heal _Orochimaru's_arms, but she knew she should. He probably never did things like this for anyone.

"For what?" He replied sharply as he kept his gaze straight ahead.

"Um…for letting me do this."

"Whatever. I don't care."

Sakura gave up and simply followed him to where ever he was taking her. She settled to watching him walk for something to do because there was nothing else to look at. His walk was strong and confident, like someone who knew exactly who he was about and what he was doing. But she noticed a miniscule difference in the way he walked. Before he'd slightly favored his right side. It was so slight no one but a trained medic would have noticed, but now it was gone. That was probably because she healed his scar that morning. She smirked. Even he would have to admit to himself that it was a lot better without it, even if he didn't admit it to anyone else.

Her mind wandered to Omri. She smiled as she thought of the way they'd stolen that stuff today. When she realized she was in the Sound, she'd never expected to meet someone who didn't want to be here and who she could talk to and laugh with. She never thought stealing underwear would be so fun. She blushed all over again as she thought of the way he'd kissed her hand. What did that mean anyway? She'd just met him, so he couldn't like her or anything, could he? Maybe it was just a thank you kiss on the hand for giving him a chance to have fun. It wasn't anything more, was it? And if it did, what did it matter? They were in Sound. Nothing like that could happen here. Did she _want_ something to happen? This was just weird. She was in captivity!

Sakura had been so caught up in her thoughts of Omri that she didn't notice that Sasuke had stopped, therefore banging right into his back. It was like walking into a wall…but it was strangely soft at the same time.

Sasuke turned sharply and was probably about to say some cutting remark to her until he saw the blush that was still on her face. "What's with you?"

Sakura tried not to smile and blushed harder instead. "Nothing important."

Sasuke stared at her for a few more seconds before he walked outside.

Sakura gasped as she followed him out. The training grounds were the most extensive she'd ever seen. There was every type of equipment imaginable and it seemed as though a miniature forest had been planted to accommodate the lack of it outside the compound. Plus that there were numerous large plains of flat ground which were probably used for tournaments. It was bigger than she could have imagined. And she had no idea how they got that forest there if they had to move around so constantly. Perhaps someone knew some insane jutsu that just made stuff come out of the ground. It wasn't unheard of. That would also explain how they got such concrete, expansive compounds. But whoever it was must have a lot of chakra to spare because a feat like this would sure use up a lot!

Sasuke kept walking until they stopped next to a middle-aged man with a patch over his right eye and a scar down his left cheek. He seemed to be supervising some sort of battle.

He bowed slightly as soon as he saw Sasuke and said, "Uchiha-sama, how may I be of service to you?"

This guy looked like an experienced ninja, hardened by hundreds of battles. How did he feel about having to _bow_to a boy, barely a man, who was most definitely a lot less than half his age? Or maybe he respected Sasuke for having the skill and determination to obtain such power at such a young age. He probably just feared him like everyone else here did.

"Haruno Sakura would like to train with some of your students. You will give her proper training clothes and watch over her for the remainder of the afternoon until I return. Treat her like you would treat any of your students, but do not allow her to get too damaged. We need her to reserve her chakra for healing someone other than herself."

Sakura's anger flared. Sasuke obviously thought she wasn't able to fight well. How dare he make assumptions on what he saw 6 years ago? Did he seriously think all she'd done after he'd left was mope around and pine his loss? Hell no! She worked and she trained until she could call herself strong. God knows he'd probably put her with a chunin-level group. How insulting! She'd soon show that she was leagues above chunin! She was almost as strong as the Hokage herself, who happened to be S-ranked and the Hokage was 50 (even if she didn't look it)! She was the strongest female ninja (besides the Hokage, of course) in the Leaf village!

Sasuke simply walked off and left her with the instructor.

"Haruno, my name is Yamako. You may address me as such. We will not be lenient on you simply because you are a medic nin. My students will not go easy on you."

Sakura was tempted to roll her eyes. More like _she_ wouldn't be easy on _them_.


	6. Monsters and Mayhem

**A/N: I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed! I really appreciate it! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! **

**Now just to explain a couple of things I'm certain reviewers will be wondering about in future chapters:**

**Because Sakura and Sasuke don't know how to deal with these new emotions they're feeling, they kind of fluctuate up and down and all over the place, really, so try not to be confused, okay! This means there are parts when Sakura becomes kind of hopeless because she's just so confused (but don't worry it doesn't last long) and parts when Sasuke is actually considerate (but unfortunately that doesn't last long either). It is quite hard to keep them in character while writing a romance. Just bear with the story and it will all make sense as you keep reading, trust me!!! **

**P.S. If I have long paragraphs it's because I'm continuing one train of thought – one subject. I change paragraphs when I need to emphasize a particular thought or start a new train of thought. And if I write 'coz' it is because I'm used to msn. I do try to pay attention to it, but I generally get too caught up in the story, sorry!**

**Six: Monsters and Mayhem**

Sasuke couldn't concentrate on anything. He'd been training, but his mind hadn't been on the fight. It was a good thing the ten ninja he'd been fighting were pathetic excuses for jounin elite otherwise he would have had a mark on him for the first time since he'd fought Itachi.

His mind had kept wandering to none other than Sakura. He'd shut his eyes as he usually did when he fought the Sound nin. He'd learn to train with them in that manner because they did not use weapons you could see. It was called the Sound after all. He'd trained himself to hear what they did before they could catch him off guard. He could hear the slightest shift in sound. When his senses were on full alert, he could feel what was happening around him. But today whenever he shut his eyes all he saw was flashes of pink. Pink hair, pink lips, the way her cheeks had flushed pink as she blushed. Why had she been blushing anyway? Was it to do with that Omri guy who was sitting with her at the lunch table? Had he been her guard? That was the only explanation as to why he was sitting there, but not for the reason she had been blushing. He couldn't concentrate on anything until he found out.

He felt his anger roll off him in waves. Looking around, he'd realized it actually had as everyone within a 20 meter radius of him had been knocked to the ground by an invisible force. He couldn't find enough reason to care and activated his Sharingan to locate Sakura. His eyes scanned the entire compound, piercing through walls and whatever else got in its way, until he saw a familiar flash of pink. It was moving fast. He frowned. The Sakura he knew couldn't move that fast even if she saw a cute white kitten hurt on the side of the road.

Wanting to take a closer look, he transported himself there and stood in the shadows as he usually did. Everyone seemed to have an annoying tendency to freeze up in his presence. He tried to avoid it as much as possible. For nin that were supposed to be fearless they were unusually pathetic. Then again, they'd probably never been subject to power such as his before.

He looked at Sakura and could not hide his surprise. She was fighting three ninja simultaneously. He could tell they were attacking her with all they had as they were sweating profusely, breathing hard and had blood seeping from various parts of their body, but Sakura was untouched, only a little dusty, and was breathing normally. The ninja were at chunin level, but he hadn't expected Sakura to be much higher than that. But she was fighting them as if she were choreographing the moves to a dance. All speed and grace and lithe movements. Her clothes were probably so tight-fitting for that very reason. He was distracted by her movements and by the fire in her eyes. Never had she looked so…appealing.

_Where the hell did that come from?_

He shut his eyes, trying to forget the image of her until he heard a resounding crack that sounded suspiciously like earth breaking. He opened his eyes to see a large chasm about 10 meters long in the earth, the split starting exactly were Sakura was standing.

_There's no way._

The ninja the chasm was aimed for had managed to dodge it but had hurt his leg in the process and was momentarily immobile. But the entire time Sasuke was observing this, Sakura had been fighting the other two ninja. A girl attacked Sakura from behind, causing Sakura to turn and kick the girl soundly in the throat before she burst into smoke. A decoy, but Sakura hadn't been fooled. Sakura had flipped over during the kick delivered to the decoy and grabbed the real ninja's head between her feet mid-air, landed on her feet, the girl's head still between them, and used her hands to flip the girl into the nearest wall. The girl crumpled motionless on the ground. But Sakura hadn't paused for a second. She had removed 5 shrukin mid-air as she flipped the girl into the wall and threw them at the other male ninja attacking her from behind as she somersaulted in the air, twisting around to face him in the process. Every one pierced his body in points that rendered his arms and legs useless. A perfect shot to the exact places that Sakura, a medic, knew would sever the nerves to his arms and legs. And she had done this while executing and planning other attacks at the same time.

Sasuke's mouth had dropped open at the complicated attack that had taken a few seconds, but nothing prepared him for what came next. As Sakura landed on her feet again, a miniature crater formed as another chasm snaked out from where her feet had landed, heading straight towards the ninja who was still clutching his left leg on the ground about 50 meters away from her. Unable to move this time, the chasm swallowed him until his shoulders stopped his descent. Not only had Sakura_created _that chasm, she also knew the exact amount of chakra to use so it would not swallow him completely, as it sure could have done if she'd wanted it to. The ninja tried to wiggle free of the hold the chasm walls, but there was no give whatsoever. She knew not to make it too lose either. She must have calculated the width of his shoulders and figured out how much chakra she had to use in one glance, in one second. She had done at _least_ five things simultaneously. Only incredibly skilled ninjas could plan and execute with such perfection.

To say Sasuke was astonished would have been a gross understatement. As Sakura stood there, at the foot of the chasm, Sasuke noticed the crowd that had gathered around the training ground for the first time. They also stood there in utter amazement. He wondered how long they'd been fighting for. He'd left Sakura with Yamako about 5 hours ago (time always seemed to go by faster when he was fighting). Had she been fighting that entire time without getting tired and without getting wounded? He activated his Sharingan and looked at Sakura. She hadn't a mark on her. Just dust which had obviously risen when she had created chasms.

Sasuke couldn't move or react for the life of him. There was just no visible reaction to express his surprised so he stood perfectly still, an unreadable expression plastered on his face, but his mind was racing, trying to figure out how, when, where, what, who…

After he'd left she must have trained and trained and trained. Not only could she fight with such skill, but rumor was she was the second best medic nin, second only to the Hokage herself, whom she'd studied under. To learn every inch of the human body and how it worked as well as learning how to formulate complicated plans while in the midst of battle and how to execute them with perfect precision was an amazing feat. He couldn't believe she'd matured and grown so much in 6 years. When she'd said things had changed, she knew what she was talking about!

He was pulled from his thought as he saw a familiar figure walk out to Sakura on the field.

Omri.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes dangerously. What was he doing there? Hadn't he told that worthless idiot to stay away from Sakura? He couldn't remember. But if he stayed around much longer, he sure was about to.

He took a step forward, but hesitated as he remembered all the people standing around. Too many witnesses. They'd definitely know something was up. He'd have to get rid of them, including that worthless ninja Sakura seemed to be so fond of. He'd just be too tempted to kill him otherwise.

He activated his Sharingan and everyone within his optical range was immediately paralyzed. Everyone besides Sakura. He didn't want her to leave just yet. As soon as everyone's bodies were paralyzed, their heads turned to where he was standing in the shadows. No doubt the shadows couldn't disguise the Sharingan. But all they would be able to see was his silhouette and the Sharingan piercing through the shadows.

Sakura looked around confused, until her eyes followed everyone else's. They immediately narrowed and she flushed in what must have been anger. Like he cared. He held everyone there for a few agonizing seconds before he released them. They immediately endeavored to fall all over themselves in an attempt to get as far away from him as possible in case he decided to repeat the action.

He watched as Omri turned to leave. He smiled in malicious content until Sakura's hand came out to catch his wrist. Sasuke grit his teeth in an attempt to control his anger as Sakura looked beseechingly into Omri's piercing green eyes. Omri shook his head and pulled his arm from Sakura's grasp. She looked after him as her hand dropped limply to her side. Sasuke had to forcibly root himself lest he go after Omri and rip him in half and he had no idea why. He had no idea what these feelings were that assaulted him so violently. He had no idea how they'd started or what had happened to cause them. All he knew is that when someone touched Sakura the feeling to do them harm was so strong it was hard to control. He knew what possessiveness felt like, but this was a level above and he didn't know what to do with it, what to make of it, and more importantly, how to make it go away. And he hated not being in control.

"Well, are you going to come out or what? I'm sure you didn't just paralyze everyone to make them go away just for fun! Or did you? Or was it just because you take _pleasure_ from terrifying people, because you don't know how to love. It is beyond your simple-minded understanding, so because you can't have it no one else can have it either."

Yep, she was definitely angry and each word she spoke was like a knife through his stomach. It was a good thing he had a high tolerance for pain.

He stepped out of the shadows and walked towards her until they were 5 meters apart. She'd probably hit him if he got too close. He'd see what she could do with the ground and he wasn't interested in seeing what she could do with his face.

"So aren't you going to say something? Or are you just going to stare at me like that bastard Orochimaru does every morning? Ask him yourself, it doesn't work."

Actually, Sasuke didn't have anything to say. All he'd wanted to do was make everyone especially that worthless ninja, Omri, go away.

When he didn't say anything Sakura just became angrier. But Sasuke knew that whatever he said would do the same thing, if not make it worse, so they just stood there, glaring at each other. Well, Sasuke wasn't glaring. He was looking at her intently, studying every single inch of her. The way her petite feet (which shouldn't be able to create chasms in the ground) joined to those shapely legs which were covered by skin-tight shorts that stopped mid-thigh. His gaze traveled from her lean legs to her petite waist and chest, covered by a cut-off sports bra and skin-tight red mesh. Then his eyes traveled up to her face, amazed that she could still look fragile while glaring with the murderous intent that he could feel. Her hair was tied up at the nape of her neck, leaving stray bangs to fall haphazardly around her heart-shaped face. Her cheeks were flushed in anger and her luminous green eyes were pricked with tears. He didn't know if it was because she was angry…or because something else. Because of him. Either way it was because of him. All he'd ever managed to do was make her cry and for once in his life he had the most absurd desire to make her smile and laugh like that other guy did. But what did he know of laughter and happiness? And how could he cause it if he'd never experienced it himself.

But he had. 6 long years ago when he'd been part of the most dysfunctional genin team in Konoha with an overactive dobe and a blushing pink-haired kunoichi. But those days were long in the past. So much had happened since then. So much had changed. And he didn't even know if he remembered how to smile; how to laugh. He certainly couldn't remember the last time he did.

"So, what? You're just going to stand there ignoring me like you always do? It's what you do best, isn't it Sasuke? It's all you _can_ do because you've alienated everyone around you. You know what you are, you're _scared_. You're scared to form relationships and friendships because of what happened to your clan. Well, I'll tell you something Sasuke. Shit happens. You get over it. That's what I did when you left. You did the same thing you us that Itachi did to you. You betrayed our trust and our love, _my_ love; you turned your back on us to find more power, just like Itachi. Sure, you said you wanted more power so you could kill him. That may have been all good and true, but what happened after, hm? Did you come back? Did you even consider it? Did the thought once cross your mind? Or did you just assume we were all too weak for you? Is that really why you left in the first place, or was it something else? Were you just too scared that if you let yourself care about anyone that the same thing would happen all over again? Is that why you tried to distance yourself from us? Is that why you wouldn't let yourself care?" She shook her head, trying to get rid of the tears that were starting to make their way down her face, glistening trails of hurt and pain that had been suppressed for years. "So you walked away. That was your solution. Fine. Your choice, but do you really have to inflict that on everyone else? Do you just want everyone to be as miserable as you, Sasuke? Is that it? Is that why you insist on making everyone hate you, because then that way they won't care about you and you won't care about them so you don't lose the ones you love all over again? Is that why you walked away from us? Is that why you walked away from me?"

Sasuke turned his head and Sakura stomped up to him and grabbed his strong jaw in her delicate hand, forcing him to look at her, to look at the tears that he'd caused.

"Why won't you answer me?"

He didn't answer because he knew every word of it was true. And every word was like salt in his eyes, except she was crying instead.

His black eyes bore into hers relentlessly. "I never meant to make you cry."

Sakura swallowed deeply. "Well, you did, Sasuke. You always do."

She took her hand from his face and he immediately missed it. She just stood there, inches away from him, searching his expressionless face.

He could smell her, that intoxicating scent he couldn't forget if he tried. He tried to search for the right words to say, not knowing why he wanted to appease her, but he'd never been good at talking.

Sakura wiped the tears trickling down her left cheek with the back of her hand, leaving a dusty smudge in its wake. Sasuke's hand itched to wipe them away for her, but he didn't dare.

"You're just going to stand there, aren't you?"

"What do you want me to say, Sakura?" He said in an impatient tone he didn't mean, but he was afraid of what would happen if he used the tone that he had swallowed back.

"I don't know!" Sakura cried, throwing her hands up helplessly. "That you're sorry. That we meant something to you. That you meant to come back. But then that would all be a lie, wouldn't it, Sasuke?"

Sasuke ground his jawed. "If that would be a lie, what is the point of me saying anything?"

Sakura shut her eyes against the pain in them. "Then why are you here?" She opened them and the pain had turned into anger. She pushed him on the chest. He took a step back, making no move to stop her. He deserved it

"Why don't you just leave?" she pushed him again, making him take another step back. "Why don't you just leave me alone, coz that's what you want me to be, isn't it? You want be to be lonely like you. Well, it's not my damn fault people don't like you, Sasuke, it's yours! So don't-" she pushed him again "-_don't_bring it out on me like you always do." A sob escaped her. "Just _go away _and walk away like you always do!"

She swung at him, but Sasuke caught her fist in his hand. She stood there before him, staring at him, until she broke out in tears. She covered her face with her other hand and sobbed while Sasuke held her other fist, pain wracking his body and the sight of her sobbing because of him. The pain at the sight paralyzed him until he couldn't stand it anymore.

He pulled the hand that was in his and she collapsed against his body. He wrapped his arms around her before she could pull back. She struggled for a few seconds but he just tightened his hold wordlessly as he tried to shut his eyes against the sound of her tears. She gave up and cried against his chest. Sasuke put one hand on the back of her head to cradle it against his chest while his other arm wrapped around her tightly, refusing to let her go. He put his face against her hair and breathed in the smell of her. The smell of her salty tears was soon overcome by the floral scent of her hair as he stood immobile. Without thinking about it, he transported them to his room. If Sakura noticed the difference she didn't show it, only clutched her hands in his black shirt as he pulled her as close as he could. His hand moved from her hair to encircle her petite figure along with his other arm.

As Sakura's painful sobs died down, she whispered, "Why did you leave us? It hurt…_so__much_."

Sasuke closed his eyes tighter against the tears that were threatening to form. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cried for anything. It must have been that painful night so long ago when everything had been taken away from him.

"I'm sorry…"

He couldn't remember the last time he'd said those words either. What was she doing to him?

He noticed she had gone completely quiet and didn't seem to be moving. He pulled her back slightly to see that she had fallen asleep against him.

In one fluid motion he picked her up in his arms and she curled against his chest, gripping his shirt again. His mouth lifted at the corners at the sight of her there. She was so peaceful…so beautiful. He wondered that he hadn't noticed it before when it was so obvious. He gently laid her in the middle of the bed, but she wouldn't let go of his shirt.

Not wanting to wake her up and probably make her cry even more, he laid down next to her. She immediately curled up to his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. He figured after reliving the emotions of the day he'd left, she didn't want to let him go again, not even in her unconscious state. He simply put his arm around her and pulled her closer. He kissed her hair and had to shut his eyes against the sensations that threatened to overwhelm him.

He opened them again to look down at her sleeping form. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve her. She deserved better than crying because he didn't know if he had room in him to love. It was so filled with pain and hate that he didn't know how, just like she'd said. She deserved someone like Omri. Someone who could care for her the way she needed to be cared for. Someone who wouldn't leave her like he would. If she wanted, when he let her go, he'd let Omri go with her. If it was what she wanted. The jealousy that consumed him almost made him want to hunt down Omri and rip him apart_now_, but if he was what Sakura wanted…so be it. His body demanded that he not let her go, that he fight for her. But that was a lost cause. She hated him. And if she didn't hate him, she sure didn't trust him. Why should she? He'd given her no reason to.

But he didn't want her to leave. Not yet. That thought alone hurt more than all the weapons he'd ever been cut by a hundred times over. He'd just have to leave her alone. All because he felt for her what he feared the most.

---

Sakura woke up feeling drowsy and dirty. Her eyes felt tired, like she'd been crying and it felt as though she was covered in dust. And the bed didn't smell like it usually did. It smelt like Sasuke. She shut her eyes against the throbbing in her head. Her head only throbbed like that when she had a hangover or when she'd cried for a long time.

But as she shut her eyes, images came to her of Sasuke. The feeling of being in his arms. Of crying in his arms as he buried his face in her hair and whispered he was sorry. Her heart contracted at the thought of it as all the feelings she experienced yesterday hit her in full force. She lay back on the bed, breathless from the intensity of it.

It couldn't have happened, could it? Sasuke didn't _hold_ people. He didn't care about people, much less her. And he never,_never_ said he was sorry for anything.

_I never meant to make you cry…_

It couldn't have happened! But everything pointed towards it. The dust from training. If it were just the dust, she would have thought she'd passed out at training, but that didn't explain the throbbing in her head unless she'd been hit on the head which was ridiculous because she clearly remembered kicking those ninjas' asses bad. And then that was when Sasuke had paralyzed everyone to make them go away and she remembered the feelings of pure hatred, hurt, and some other emotion. The hatred and hurt were clear enough. She'd been angry. Really angry. And every thing she felt when Sasuke left had come back to her in full force and she broke under the sheer pressure of them. She knew it had to happen eventually. Until that moment she'd been holding up really well, but she'd known it wouldn't last. But she always figured she'd break down when she was alone, cry it out, and move on like she always did. But it'd happened in front of him. And he'd held her.

Warmth crept into her chest as she relived the feeling. It had happened. It must have. She couldn't have imagined something like that because she didn't think Sasuke was capable of such an act. He'd _held_ her, like he cared.

And why did the bed smell like him? Had he _slept_ there? Why wasn't he there now? Where was he?

She quickly leaned over the left side of the bed to look at his makeshift bed on the floor but it was empty. She jumped out of bed, barely noticing how dirty she was, and opened the bathroom door. He wasn't in there either.

Frowning, Sakura sat on the bed. He must have gone out. She might as well take a shower while he was away, so then she'd be somewhat clean when he got back. She must look a sight. She could feel how the tears and dried with the dust on her face. She definitely had to do something about her hair as well. It was a mess of knots and dust. She put her hand on the back of her hand and shut her eyes, feeling Sasuke's hand there all over again.

**Stop it, Sakura! You're being stupid!**

_Only as stupid as the idea that Sasuke _held_me! But it happened!_

**Don't get your hopes up. He has an annoying tendency to let you down, remember?**

She remembered. Just because he'd held her one night (and possibly slept in the same bed as her) didn't mean it was going to be a regular thing. This was Sasuke after all. It would be a good memory (well, not the crying, but the rest of it anyway), but it wouldn't happen again. It was a one-off.

_Just a one-off._

But she couldn't deny that there was part of her that was clinging to what happened last night in hope that something had changed. As much as she wished she hated Sasuke, she knew she probably didn't. She didn't think she could if she tried. A part of her would always love him, and after last night, it was all coming back again and she hated it. He'd let her down. He would. He always did.

_I didn't mean to make you cry…_

Sakura shut her eyes to try to stave away the feelings that assaulted her as she remembered his words. He didn't mean to, but he always did. Isn't that what she'd said to him? Wasn't it true?

She forced herself to calm down and think.

**First things first, you desperately need a shower**

She could smell that she did. How did Sasuke stand it? She could help but giggle. That was probably why he'd left the bed so early.

She grabbed her bag from under the bed and took it into the bathroom. She made the shower longer than usual, relishing the luxuries of having shampoo and conditioner and enjoying the fact that she could brush her hair (which took about 5 minutes because of all the knots in it). After she got out of the shower she towel-dried her hair until it was damp and brushed her teeth for a long, long time, trying to make up for lost time. Once she'd finished she felt especially refreshed, ready for a new day, prepared for however Sasuke happened to act this morning.

She was about to get dressed when she yet again found that she had no clothes to get into. She groaned. She'd have to wait until Sasuke got back to dress because her two uniforms were probably in the wash or where ever they disappeared to. She could ask Sasuke about it when he got back. Hopefully that was soon.

Sighing, she wrapped the towel around her tightly and stuffed her toiletries back in the bag. She absentmindedly wondered if they girls they'd stolen the stuff from had noticed there absence yet. Probably. Well, they could always get more. She found the fact that she was using someone else's toothbrush slightly disturbing, but she was desperate and she'd washed it thoroughly before using it.

She walked of the bathroom and stuffed the bag back under the bed. As soon as she'd stood up the door opened, revealing a slightly surprised Sasuke.

Sakura's heart constricted at the sight of him and it was all she could do not to smile at him and thank him for what he'd done last night, even though he'd been the one to get her in that state in the first place. He'd more than made up for it.

He recovered from his momentary surprise quickly and threw her two uniforms on the foot of her bed, clean and folded.

So he was the one who did that. And he'd been doing that since she got here. He didn't ask her and she didn't have to ask him, he'd just done it.

Before she could get carried away, Inner Sakura chimed in.

**Don't get too excited. It could just be a habit for him and he just added your clothes with his.**

True, he may not have gone out of his way to do that, but he still did. That was what counted. He could have just as easily left her to wear dirty clothes, and she wouldn't have put it past him, knowing Sasuke. But he didn't.

"Thanks, I needed those."

"Obviously."

She picked up one pair and returned to the bathroom to change. She couldn't seem to keep her mind off him. She kept thinking of his actions and analyzing them and reanalyzing them in case she'd missed some hidden meaning behind them and then told herself she was stupid for thinking she meant anything to him. Then she'd recall last night and that put everything she'd ever grown to believe about Sasuke up in the air and she didn't know what to think about him more.

When she came out she dumped her dirty training clothes in the usual place and noticed that there was a plate of food on the bed that hadn't been there before.

"Is this mine?"

"Obviously."

She just stood there looking at him in amazement. He'd gotten her breakfast because he remembered she hadn't eaten the night before.

"U-um, thank you."

"Whatever. I'll be back later."

He slammed the door behind him, but Sakura barely noticed. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the plate of food. He _must_ care about her! What else could explain that action?

**Eat it before it gets cold, you idiot.**

Sasuke probably wouldn't be happy if he'd gone out of his way to get her food and she'd just stared at it.

**Kami, you're actually considering his feelings!**

_Because he's considering mine._

The thought was amazing, yet it was actually happening. Of all things she imagined would happen, this wasn't one of them. What she imagined was more along the lines of beating him into a pulp (fat chance of_that _ever happening).

She sat down and ate the food, not tasting a bite.


	7. She Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

**A/N: Okay, so this might be my last chapter for a couple of days. I REALLY want to write more, but I can't. You see, fanfiction has an annoying tendency to make me forget certain responsibilities (like graduating from high-school) but in a couple of weeks all that will be over (CHA!) and I'll be home free for weeks and weeks and weeks which will be dedicated to reading and writing fanfiction! But, yes, I DO need to get this school thing over and done with first (though I won't stop writing completely. I don't think I CAN stop. Oh well). **

**Seven: She Loves Me, He Loves Me Not**

One week had past since Sakura's blow-up on the training field and she was strangely disappointed. Sasuke had treated her exactly the same as before, if not worse. He hardly spoke to her and pretended she wasn't even there. She was beginning to think what happened last week was a dream. There was nothing of the Sasuke she had seen that night.

And she couldn't deny that it hurt. She'd thought she'd been prepared for any kind of let down from him, because that was all he did, really. Let her down. But it hadn't hurt any less and every day he ignored her she felt a familiar pain creep around her heart, squeezing it until she wasn't sure she could keep breathing. It was exactly how it had been back then. Back when he first left. Back then everyday she woke up she had to remind herself why she had to get up that morning. Why she couldn't just stay in bed and sleep it away, like a bad nightmare. And then she'd cursed herself for being so weak. She was a ninja. She lived a ninja's life. People leaving, whether it was because of death or something else was a regular occurrence. Did she really think she'd be spared the heartbreak? That was part of the job description. Sometimes friends and loved ones didn't come home.

But did they _decide_ to leave? Did that ever happen?

Well, Orochimaru had left Tsunade, but she didn't think Tsunade had ever liked him. He was too much of a freak for _anyone_ to like. And she'd _loved_ Sasuke, more than she thought she could love anyone. It had grown past the original school-girl crush and evolved into a full-fledged, unrequited love. Sakura hadn't even realized it was that serious until he was about to walk out of those gates and she tried to stop him. She didn't know what had happened to cause it or when it had started; all she knew is that she couldn't let him walk out of those gates. But he did anyway. Her love wasn't good enough. It never would be, so why did she try?

Because she loved him still, as full-fledged and unrequited as before.

She knew it was hopeless and that her heart would just get broken over and over again, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't deny her heart. She just couldn't. She'd tried for so long, suppressing it with all her will, but it wasn't enough. She'd even struggled with it then. But now that she was with him again it had all come back with such intensity it was hard not to stare at him when he walked in the room, touch him when he was so close…tell him.

She wanted to let it out because it was too much for her to keep to herself. It felt as though her heart was going to explode any second, but how could she? Before he'd just ignored her, but what now? She couldn't think what he'd do now. It just wasn't an option.

But she couldn't ignore it like she'd tried before. All that came out of that was a bad drinking habit. She couldn't tell him every 5 seconds and fawn all over him like she'd done before he'd left. That was just stupid. She'd done that because she didn't know what else to do with such mature feelings at such an immature age. It had overwhelmed her so she had overwhelmed him. That hadn't been good for either of them. She couldn't ignore him. She thought that it wouldn't be so bad when she wasn't around him, but she was wrong. It was worse. She would always be counting down the minutes until she'd see him again and she wasn't able to concentrate on anything, including her training.

So she'd concentrated on the one thing that could take her mind anyway from everything, even Sasuke.

Healing people.

Just the thought that she was helping people made her happy. Just the thought that she was useful, that people needed her was enough to relieve the pain, if only for a while. Even if Sasuke didn't want or need her, others did.

Because she couldn't concentrate on fighting, she merely observed the fights, and once they were done, she'd attend to the wounded. At first she was met with resistance. The Sound nin weren't used to being attended to. They'd been taught to just deal with the pain and work past it. At that Sakura had just said that was all good and well for the mind and resolve, but not for the body. If they kept mistreating it like that it'd break down on them before it's time and they'd be dealing with all sorts of problems. And after she'd rattled off just a few of the ailments in store for them, they reluctantly accepted her touch with wide eyes. She knew they were probably afraid of Sasuke's reaction, but Sakura told them she'd take care of it. She'd take the full responsibility and say she'd forced them with her strength.

The way she saw it, he'd brought her here as a medic. If she wasn't going to heal Orochimaru, she might as well work on the rest of the Sound.

At first she felt a bit like a traitor for healing them, but as she started talking to them and getting to know them, she realized most of them were actually good people. Most of them had grown up here and it was all they'd known. They didn't know there was anything else out there. They thought this was just the way life was. Eat or be eaten, strongest gets all. Her kindest baffled some and they couldn't seem to grasp the concept that she actually _wanted_ to help them, for no other reason than that alone. They though there_must _be some hidden agenda, but soon realized there wasn't and greeted her with a smile. Some even sought her out even when she wasn't healing them. She'd made friends.

Of course, some were downright sick in the head. No amount of chakra could heal that! Some enjoyed seeing others in pain and enjoyed inflicting it even more. She thought that since they must enjoy watching and inflicting pain, they must enjoy experiencing it too and refused to heal them with some feeble excuse like "Oh, I must reserve my chakra, I'm almost out." They probably knew she was avoiding them, but what could they do? Kill her? That's all they knew how to do and if they did, Sasuke would be on their asses for it.

And all were amazed at her abilities. When they were badly wounded, they came to her thinking she wouldn't be able to do anything, but she'd fixed them. As a medic, she was only supposed to give them a push, a head-start on the healing process, but she always found that she healed them completely. She just couldn't stop once she'd started, knowing that she could go the whole way. She just couldn't pull her hands away. And she couldn't let them walk away knowing she could have done more. And she figured it was better that she healed it completely anyway because Sound nin didn't know the meaning of rest. They'd just keep going anyway, no matter what injury, so they'd still harm their bodies.

But all of her effort left her dead on her feet by the time Sasuke came to take her to his room. He must account her tiredness to training. If he'd known about her healing he definitely would have said something.

As soon as she entered the room, she fell on the bed and fell asleep, without even putting the covers on (though they were always on come morning. She figured she'd just done it in her subconscious state coz she was cold). It also meant she ate twice as much to regain her depleted energy. Healing always left her hungry. The only reason she never put on weight was because of vigorous training and a naturally petite figure. And because she was so tired all the time, it didn't leave too much room for thinking about Sasuke. Of course, he was never far from her thoughts, and when he walked in the room it was hard for her not to reach out and touch him, but then she started thinking about what kind of injuries her Sound nin would have today (they never did things in half-measures. If they were going to train, they were going to nearly kill themselves in the process and come back for more the next day. If they hurt their right arm, they'd learn to fight with their left through trial and error, hurting themselves even more in the process).

Sakura glanced at the clock again for the third time in that minute. It was almost 12:30.

_Sasuke should be coming soon._

Her heart leaped and she made no move to stop it. It was pointless. Sakura had never been one who was able deny her heart what it wants. It had been hard enough the last time she'd tried, just to have it all come rushing back again. Now that she knew that was bound to happen, she didn't see the point in trying. It just hurt a lot. Well, it hurt either way, but at least with this way she felt the happiness along with the pain. It was almost worth it.

The door opened and Sakura looked up expectantly and felt slightly guilty when Sasuke didn't walk in because it was Omri.

He smiled and lifted his hand in greeting. "Hey, Sakura!"

Sakura smiled brightly, keeping her voice light and void of the disappointment she felt. She liked Omri, he just wasn't Sasuke. It would be hours until she'd see him next.

"Hey! What are you doing here?"

Omri shrugged as he approached their table. "I don't understand it myself, really. I was just walking along, minding my own business when some elite comes up to me and says I've been ordered to escort you to training and remain there to train _with_ you! Orders from the top and everything. I had a scroll, but it exploded so, yeah."

Sakura's mind was trying to get around this new development. Orders from the top must mean Sasuke coz Sasuke was at the top. But why would he get_Omri_ of all people to escort her to training and _stay_with her? She kind of had the impression that he hated Omri.

Despite her confusion, she smiled at him. "Well, I'm not going to complain! Let's go!" She stood up and they exited the lunch room in silence. Once they were alone, Omri started talking.

"So I heard about your healing thing. When did that happen?"

Sakura laughed in embarrassment. "Oh, that? That's nothing. I just didn't feel like hurting people, so I decided I'd heal them instead!"

Omri laughed, "Fair enough. We all you know can kick our asses anyway! I saw how you took down those three chunin last week!"

He didn't mention Sasuke and for once she didn't let her mind wander to that part of the day. She'd only get distracted again. "Yeah, well, they were only chunin. I had to go easy on them."

Omri laughed in disbelief. "Go easy on them? You pummeled them! I hate you see what you're fully capable of!"

Sakura laughed with him. "Well, I must say I scare myself in my ferocity sometimes. It seems that when I start I cannot stop until I get the job well and truly done."

"I noticed that with your healing as well. You don't stop until you're completely done. You seem a little tired afterwards."

Tired was a gross understatement. Sakura laughed feebly. "Yeah, well, I don't like walking away when I know I can do more."

"But isn't that kind of damaging to _your_ body?"

Yes. "Oh, um, my chakra always comes back by the next morning. I'm quite used to it."

Omri frowned. The expression didn't suit him at all. "You take of everyone, Sakura, so who takes care of you?"

"No one. I can take care of myself. I'm _not_ weak. I can handle it. I know my own limits. I'm not a fool. _I'm_ the medic. If anyone knows, it's me."

Omri raised his hands. "Okay, okay. I wasn't insinuating that you weren't. I was just worried."

Sakura smiled in apology. "Sorry, I kind of get a little testy when I think people think I'm weak. Just coz I used to be doesn't mean I am anymore."

"Honestly, Sakura, I could never imagine you weak. And I'm not just referring to your super-strength either. It's you spirit as well. I don't think anyone could crush it."

Only one person could. Sasuke. She almost sighed. If only she'd fallen for a nice, normal guy like Omri who didn't have any scarring psychological issues or at least had the kind of character that moved on, not mull over it for eternity.

Sakura quickly changed when they reached the training grounds. She usually wore her medic uniform because all she did was heal people, but Omri told her he wanted to try himself against her unusual abilities.

"I must warn you, Sakura. Not only can I sense chakra, but I can sense when they're building it up to prepare an attack so I'll see everything coming. You can't surprise me."

Sakura smiled sweetly. "Then this should be interesting." But the last thing she felt like doing was training.

---

Sasuke looked at the clock on the wall. She'd be with Omri right about now. Sasuke clenched his hands around the arms of the chair to keep himself in check. The urge to go there and tear her away from him was almost beyond his control. He couldn't believe he was literally handing her over to Omri to have his sweet way with her, but what else _could_ he do? He couldn't stop her from any other relationships just because he wanted her. It was selfish. He couldn't do that to her.

But the pain…it was unlike anything he'd experienced before, besides the time his entire clan was slaughtered by his brother. But he felt like he was experiencing it all over again. But Sakura wasn't dying…she was running into the arms of another guy. He didn't know what was worse. No Sakura at all or Sakura with someone else.

This was the reason he walked away. He knew that once he let someone in it'd happen all over again. Story of his life. And he'd kept his guard up, but all the walls came crashing down as soon as he saw Sakura cry. He didn't know how she'd wormed her way in, but she had and she wasn't about to leave anytime soon.

That's why he'd walked away from all of them before. It had been starting to happen but he couldn't let them take first place in his life while Itachi still walked. He'd just end up leaving anyway to fight him and possibly not come back. He couldn't let them - especially Sakura - live the dream just to have it end in a nightmare. So he'd left. He'd left before he couldn't.

But now Itachi was dead and he couldn't walk away. Sure, he could just return her to Konoha (he hardly cared about Orochimaru's arms anymore), but what was the point? He knew he'd just end up going back again and again, if for nothing more than just to see her. And the thought of her leaving…well, he didn't think about it. He couldn't. In part, putting her with Omri was slightly selfish. If she was with him, if she…fell in love with Omri, she wouldn't want to leave him so she wouldn't leave _him_ either. Even if it were for someone else, she'd still be here. He knew she'd stay, no matter how strong her loyalties to Konoha. Because when Sakura fell in love, she fell in love _bad._He should know.

His heart clenched as the memory of her weeping of him in the Water County came to him. Once she'd cared beyond all human reckoning, but not now. He'd hurt her too badly. And he was sorry, sorrier than he could ever express, but he'd end up hurting her anyway, no matter what he did. It was just inevitable…inescapable. There wasn't any point trying.

But seeing her everyday and not being able to touch when he could smell her, not being able to hold her again…not being able to tell her. It was almost too much sometimes and in the middle of the night he just had to walk out of the room because his body couldn't stand her being so close yet not being able to _have_ her. He desired her in a way that was unnatural for him. Sure, he'd been attracted to women before, but not like this. Nothing like this. Her beauty hit him anew everyday she woke, enticing him with that figure, that smile.

And he wanted to tell her, but the time for that was 6 years past. He was too late. She'd probably be disgusted. His chest constricted in pain. He shut his eyes and waited for the sensation to pass, willing himself to think of something else. But there wasn't anything else that mattered.

---

"You seem a little distracted, Sakura."

Sakura opened her eyes as they focused Omri, who was leaning over her. He'd delivered a hard blow that had sent her back 10 feet and into a tree, knocking her head in process. She _had_ been beating him until her thoughts returned to that day last week when she had been fighting those chunin and Sasuke had come. The only thing that sparked the thought was a similar move used on Omri that she had used on the chunin. And the fight had gone downhill from there. Omri knew she could kick his ass, so obviously something was up.

"Yeah, I suppose I am. It's just…everything, really." She said as she picked herself up and leaned back against the tree.

"Want to tell me about it?"

Sakura laughed bitterly. "I doubt you'd understand."

"I can still listen."

"No thanks."

Omri shrugged. "Well since you obviously don't feel like fighting, how about I tell you my story."

Sakura had been curious as to how a guy like Omri got here. He didn't suit this place. He was too happy. "Okay."

She sat down against the tree and Omri joined her, sitting close enough so their shoulders were touching. Sakura tried to feel something, but there was nothing. Yet when she laid a single hand on Sasuke…

"I guess you're thinking I don't exactly belong in this place."

"That_was_ what I was thinking, actually."

Omri shrugged. "I guess I don't. But I'll start from the beginning."

"Knock yourself out." Anything that would distract her for a couple of minutes was fine with her.

Omri leaned his head back against the tree and sighed heavily. "Where to begin? Well, I was born in this tiny village in Wind Country. It was a poor village and we were poor. Everyone was poor there. I can't even remember the name of it anymore. This part of my life seems more like a dream than anything else. Remember I told you I can be stubborn? Well, most nin here just let go of their past, their lives before they got here, but I refuse to. My goal is to return to my village sometime in the near future and make it a better place. But I'm getting ahead of myself."

"Um…let's see. Well, I was born into a farmer's family and my parents had eight children already. They weren't meant to have me. They could hardly get by as it was, but my Mother refused to kill her own child, so I was kept. A farmer's life is not an easy one in the Wind Country. The land is flat and barren and the soil tough, hardly fertile. It is rare that anything will grow properly, but my father didn't know how to do anything else. So that's how I grew up until I was 8. a poor, dirty, skinny boy who's best friend was a cow." Sakura laughed at that. "But I was always a happy child. My father had always been bitter. I remember him forever complaining about my mother's cooking. Every single night, even though she did her best with what she had. I suppose he was just disheartened at the poor crops year after year. But my mother, she was the sun herself." Omri smiled lightly as he remembered her. "She was the best woman I've ever known." He glanced at Sakura. "But you come pretty damn close." Sakura laughed and told him to continue. "Okay, so my Mother was great. She was so loving and kind, but kept her children in order at the same time. Whenever we complained she always told us to be grateful for what we do have, for no matter how bad off we were there was always someone worse off in the world and we should say a prayer for them. I never once heard her complain. And when she smiled, it was like the world was right again." He glanced at Sakura again. "Of course, you-"

Sakura laughed, cutting him off. "Yes, yes, I get it!"

Omri smiled. No wonder his smile was so infectious if his Mother was as good as she sounded. "So I am extremely grateful I took after her more. I seemed to be the only one. All my other siblings were little brats if I remember correctly. I was her favorite. She denied she had favorites, but you'd have to be blind to see the bond between us. She always knew I was different, I suppose. It started when ninja came to our house in search for shelter for the raging wind storm, a regular in our country. As they came in, I noticed a certain ethereal glow that surrounded them that no one else I'd ever seen before had. The lights were different colors and some were stronger than others. And when I was six, I was old enough to go into the village by myself. I noticed more of these ethereal glows surrounding certain people. At first I thought I was just being fanciful, but then I asked a kind ninja what it was and he said, "It's called chakra. It's a ninja's life force. Everyone has it, but not everyone knows how to tap into it. A ninja does though. So you can see it, eh?" he'd rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he said it. I remember it perfectly. Then he looked at me with a certain gleam in his eyes. I noticed his chakra had grown brighter. He then said, "That talent of yours could be handy." He didn't do anything further, just walked away thoughtfully. After that experienced, I endeavored to find out everything I could about ninjas. It was an obsession. I wanted to be one more than anything. My father dismissed it as a young boy's dream that would never come to pass, but my mother always encouraged me and always watched me do my stunts and played games of pretend with me. She was my damsel in distress, you see. My eldest brother was the unwitting villain. He'd participate in the games without even knowing. I'd provoke him and he'd start after me so I practiced that way. When I was 8 I was presented with another opportunity to go to the village. Things hadn't changed all too much, but I sensed something. It was strong, powerful, but most of all it was dark. It terrified me. I went searching for the presence, believing I'd finally found my villain and that I'd finally get to save my damsel in distress. But it turned out he was looking for me. He found me in a back alley and the color he was radiating was so dark I couldn't see through it. I saw evil itself and I'll never forget it. he stood before me and finally spoke after staring at me for a few minutes. I'll never forget what he said. "So judging by that look on your face, I'm assuming you're the boy who can see chakra. But you knew I was coming too. So you must sense it also. I have big plans for you." At that point his aura of chakra retreated a bit and I could see him. At first glance I saw a young man, no older than 25, but then suddenly that face disappeared and I saw him for what he really was. An old man with a young man's face. It's the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. It was a gross mixture of all his past faces and his old one."

Orochimaru.

"I can still see that if I look hard enough, but I hardly want to. I was too terrified to speak at the time. He frowned at that point and said, "You see a great deal more than you should. I'll have to teach you how to control that. You see, boy, I am a ninja of great power. There are few who are my equal." I already knew he was extremely powerful, but I also knew he was extremely evil. I didn't want to be anywhere near him. I said, finally finding my voice, "What if I don't want to go with you?" he smiled, that disgusting smile of his and licked his lips with that snake tongue of his, saying, "You don't have a choice, my boy." At that point he leaped for me and I woke up here. I had already forgotten some of past life. It all seemed like a dream. But then an image of my mother's smile came to me and I held onto that, refusing to fall into a lie. Her smile alone is what has kept me the same all these years. I was trained and now I can control my ability, but I will never forget where I came from, even if I forgot the village's name. I want to go back and help her, help my family. And I hold onto the hope that she's still alive. It's what keeps me going."

Sakura smiled warmly. He was like Naruto in a way. Holding on when everything seemed lost. "I really admire that, Omri. I have a friend that you would just love, even if you wanted to punch him every 5 minutes coz he won't stop telling you he's going to be the next Hokage."

Omri laughed. "I would like to meet him!"

"You two would hit it off for sure! His name is Naruto Uzamaki. He used to be in Team 7 along with me and Sasuke back in out genin days."

Omri's mouth gaped. "Sa-what? You were in a team with Uchiha-sama?"

_Whoops!_

**So what, Sakura? You know you can trust Omri! What's the big deal anyway? Sasuke barely acknowledges your existence.**

"Ha, yeah. I knew Sasuke back when he was a brooding boy intent on revenge. Back before he was…whatever he is now."

"Wow, that is crazy! No wonder you call him by his first name!"

Sakura laughed. "There is nothing that could make me call him Uchiha-sama! Nothing! He'll always be Sasuke to me, psychotic war-lord or not."

Omri laughed with her. "Wow, I cannot imagine him as anything other than what he is now."

Sakura smiled sadly. "Yeah, it came as a surprise to me. I thought he was dead."

"I don't understand. I didn't think he had any friends."

Sakura sighed. "He doesn't. He never let himself. I might as well tell you the story."

Sakura told him the entire story, from start to finish, even telling him about how she'd loved him and how he'd left her unconscious on a bench and walked away. She told him how she'd coped, how she'd piled on the workload for a distraction and how surprised she was when she saw him again. How she'd kept it together until she'd broken down on the field that day last week.

"So do you still love him?"

Sakura laughed bitterly. "I think it'd be impossible for me to stop, no matter what I did, and I've tried everything, trust me."

"That must suck."

"Like a pen up your ass."

Omri burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, like a what?"

Sakura blushed. "Oh…uh…I pick up weird expressions from the hospital. I got that one from a guy who sat down on a pen and got it stuck up his ass. It would have been funny if I wasn't the one who had to pull it out."

Omri shook his head, laughing. "Okay, so back to this Sasuke business."

"Oh, wow, Omri! You called him Sasuke!"

"Yeah, just don't tell him, okay? You know how I told you I can see auras, well, his is worse than Orochimaru's, though I must admit his has never been as evil as Orochimaru's. He may be way more powerful, but he's not evil. I can see that. Orochimaru's in a league of his own in that department." He looked at Sakura. "You've no idea how powerful he is, do you?"

"Well, I've had enough encounters with Orochimaru to know he isn't a ninja to be taken lightly. Our own former Hokage, Orochimaru's former sensei, couldn't even defeat him, even though he used the same jutsu the Fourth Hokage used to imprison the Nine-Tailed Fox. That's pretty powerful. And his former team mates, who are also S-rank, could not defeat him. The only guy who Orochimaru was ever afraid of was Itachi, and Sasuke defeated him, so I cannot even begin to comprehend how powerful Sasuke is."

"You've got that right! You've never seen him fight, either! It's incredible! He can fight at least 10 elite jounin at a time and defeat them with only his mind, though he doesn't do that often. He prefers to fight in the physical world. It's slightly more of a challenge that way, though still easy as breathing for him. He hasn't been wounded since his fight with Itachi two years ago."

"_Two years ago!_" He'd defeated Itachi when he was only 16? And two years ago! That must have been where he'd gotten the katana wound that she'd healed. Two years ago and he still hadn't returned to them. Pain washed over her afresh.

"Yeah, that's how he came over the curse mark too."

Sakura had been wondering why that wasn't there anymore. "How did he get over that? I was there when he was bitten. It was agony for him."

"You were _there_? Okay, well anyway, it was quite simple really. As soon as Sasuke's power surpassed Orochimaru's, Orochimaru found that he couldn't maintain his hold on him anymore. So he made it disappear. He didn't really have a choice. He would have died if he'd kept on trying to control Sasuke. Sasuke's power would have overwhelmed him. That's when Sasuke became the big boss, so to speak."

Sakura had no idea. This was insane. "So, um, how did Sasuke get so powerful anyway?"

Omri slapped his knee. "This is the coolest part! So Orochimaru had let Sasuke go for a year to search for his brother and kill him. If he hadn't found him in that time, he was to return to Orochimaru and would have to forget about his goal forever. Orochimaru's original plan was to never allow Sasuke to leave to kill his brother in the first place because if Sasuke could defeat Itachi, he could defeat Orochimaru. He knew that. He was planning to take his body before that, but as Orochimaru became busy with other things, he didn't notice how powerful Sasuke had been getting and when he was going to take his body, he found he couldn't. Sasuke wouldn't let him. So he needed Sasuke's consent. He'd never get it if he didn't let Sasuke kill his brother, so he had to let him go, risking the chance that Sasuke would fail and be killed, therefore leaving him without his body. He made sure Sasuke would come back if he succeeded by telling him that his body would be in such unbelievable agony from the curse mark, that'd he'd have to return to Sound or be in agony for as long as he lived. At that point, Orochimaru was fully able to do that and Sasuke knew it, so he agreed to come back if he succeeded, claiming he had no use for his life after that anyway."

Pain stabbed Sakura's chest and she found it hard to breathe. She tried not to let Omri see. "So…uh…um…didn't he…uh…care about…err…rebuilding is….eh…clan anymore?"

If Omri noticed her breathless tone he didn't say anything. "He said that his clan was cursed and he would not father any children that would have the same life as him."

Sakura clenched her eyes shut against the tears that threatened to fall down her face. Sasuke must be in unbearable pain if he thought that. Her heart hurt for him and it was almost too much.

"Are you okay, Sakura? Should I stop?"

Sakura wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and shook her head. "Keep going. I want to hear this."

Omri nodded. "Okay, so Sasuke went off to find Itachi. I don't know how long it took him to find him or what the fight was like. You'd have to ask him that yourself and I guess you understand why no one does. They'd probably get their head blown off. Anyway, he won, obviously. But something happened that not even Orochimaru could have predicted. It turns out Sasuke had learned a few more tricks about the Sharingan that no one had ever discovered. It turns out that if you are powerful enough, not only can you copy jutsus of any sort, but also _power_."

Sakura's head snapped to the side. "Copy _power_? But how does that work?"

Omri shrugged. "I suppose only Sasuke knows the answer to that, but I can make an educated guess. I think that because Itachi was also of the same bloodline, Sasuke somehow copied Itachi's power from Itachi's Sharingan with his or something weird like that. But like I said, I can only guess. All I know for sure is that when Sasuke came back, his aura was unlike anything I've ever seen! It was like he had _two_ people's chakra and melded it into one. So perhaps he stole Itachi's chakra with his Sharingan. Whatever. All I know is that he had his own power, which had grown in the fight with Itachi anyway and also had Itachi's. And let's not forget Itachi had been more powerful than Orochimaru. And Sasuke now had _both_ his power, which he had more of than Itachi, seeing as he'd beaten him in the first place, and also Itachi's, who was leagues ahead of Orochimaru in the first place. I don't think anyone else knows. They probably think he just got twice as powerful suddenly, but I know coz I could see it. The blue chakra is his, and the red is Itachi's. He hardly uses Itachi's chakra now. Actually, I don't think I've seen it since he came back those years ago. He might have to use it if he ever fought Orochimaru with his arms, but I don't doubt that he could take down this whole place, sustaining injuries of course, and we have some fearsome ninjas here. Orochimaru picks only those with promise or special abilities, like myself. But these days Sasuke doesn't need to use Itachi's chakra, and I have a theory that because Itachi's chakra was stolen, it won't replete itself. It's more like Sasuke's reserve chakra for times when he needs it. I don't know when that will be. Never, probably. And Sasuke can always get his chakra back. He's fearsome enough with his own!"

Sakura sat there with her mouth wide open. She didn't think she would be able to do anything else. It was just…_incredible_! This was the Sasuke she knew as a 12-year-old who used to bicker with Naruto about _everything_ (even though Naruto always started it).

"That's crazy! And I thought Naruto was powerful!"

"So this Naruto friend of yours is strong?"

Sakura laughed. "Unbelievably so for such a dumb-ass. I probably shouldn't call him that. He's actually quite smart; he just talks like the village idiot. Well, he _is_the village idiot, albeit the most powerful one. Has been since he was 12. He's the kid with the Nine-Tailed Fox in him."

Omri's eyes almost popped out of his head. "You're kidding! He's _that_Naruto? Kami, Sakura! Some former team mates you have there!"

Sakura couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, a psychotic Uchiha warlord who could most possibly be the most powerful ninja ever who I happen to be irrevocably in love with and the Nine-Tailed Fox kid whose one goal in life is to be the next Hokage and can't seem to stop getting stronger. Naruto has more stamina than anyone I've ever met, including Sasuke, but I haven't seen Sasuke fight yet."

Omri shrugged. "I don't know how much endurance Sasuke has because ever time I've seen him fight he's never needed it. It's his opponents that need it."

"How do you so much about it anyway?"

Omri shrugged. "I was there the whole time. I used to sit in the council when I was Orochimaru's favorite. We're all a favorite some time or another. That just happened to be my time. I was observant and I don't forget things."

"So you were there when he came back?"

Omri nodded. "His power almost blew me away. Literally."

Sakura shook her head, still not quite able to comprehend what drastic changes her former team mates and gone through. "I'd love to see him fight Naruto because no matter how badly you beat Naruto, he won't give up. And when I say no matter what, I am dead serious. That's why I said he's a bit like you. He refuses to give up."

Omri smiled. "I think I like him already."

Sakura laughed again. "You haven't met him yet. He's still a 12-year-old brat in an 18-year-old's body, if you ask me. But I love him like a brother. Team 7 always did have a strange bond, one that other teams didn't seem to have. I guess because both Naruto and Sasuke had been through so much already…"

"And you were the innocent breath of fresh air."

"You make me sound interesting. I wasn't. I was the normal one. The weak one."

"Sakura, there is nothing wrong with normal and that strength you have is anything but normal. I bet Sasuke and Naruto envied your normality. They never had that. Naruto was shunned and Sasuke's normalcy died the day his clan did. Sure, they may be incredibly powerful, but at what price? I bet they would trade it for what you had any day. I guess the reason Sasuke always called you weak wasn't necessarily meant in the physical sense. He probably thought that you couldn't get powerful with a normal life. Like you didn't have the desire to be strong so you were weak. If that makes sense."

"It sort of does. I know what you're getting at anyway. But it was never easy. The lowest was when Naruto left too."

"But you came through that. You have just as much endurance as Naruto. That could not have been easy to handle."

Sakura sighed. "What ninja _hasn't_gone through some horrible, life-altering experience?"

"I think it'd be fairly accurate to say pretty much every ninja has, but I think Naruto and Sasuke take the prize. I mean, having a demon inside of you? Having your own brother kill off your entire clan and having a vendetta to kill him when he's become the most powerful ninja around? It'd be hard to top that."

"I always thought Kakashi-sensei had some blood-curling past, but he's the most private man I know, even more so that Sasuke."

Omri shook his head. "I can't believe you had Hatake Kakashi as a sensei as well! He's legendary!"

"It's weird thinking of him like that. To me he'll always be Kakashi-sensei who fell for Naruto's stupid eraser-in-the-door stunt."

Omri shook his head again. "Though you may have suffered a lot of heart-ache, Sakura, you are truly one of the luckiest people I know. To be privileged to have such people as your friends and team mates._And _you're the Hokage's apprentice! Almost as good as her!"

"Well, I guess when I think about it, there were a lot of good times mixed in with the bad." Sakura smiled wistfully as she remembered those days. "Even though our team never seemed to get along, we had moments when we worked together in perfect harmony and when it came down to it, we probably worked together better than any other team I knew of. We had bonds that could never be broken. I don't think even Sasuke could deny that. It's probably why he walked away. He was scared of it. I have a lot of friends in high places that are very dear to me, but I don't think Sasuke was ever one of them."

"Well, I don't know. I reckon he must have cared for you at least a little bit."

Sakura smiled sadly. "I didn't mean that. I meant that he could never be just a friend for me. It always had to be more. And he couldn't give that. It was doomed to fail before it even started. He left before it could start. I don't know if it would have even if he had stayed. Maybe. Who knows? I always thought that if I just became strong enough he'd notice me. I was foolish. I still am, holding onto a love that can never be reciprocated."

"How do you know?"

"What do you mean by that?" She asked sharply.

Omri shrugged. "I dunno. Before he walked away because of Itachi, right? But there is no Itachi anymore. What's stopping him now?"

Sakura laughed bitterly. "You don't know Sasuke like I do. He could_never_ be interested in me."

"Why not?"

"Because he just _can't_! It's _Sasuke_!"

Omri shrugged. "He may be insanely powerful, but he's still a guy. A lot of guys are interested in you, Sakura, so why's he an exception?"

Sakura shook her head, not being able to believe it, but images of that night last week kept flashing in her mind. How he'd held her.

_I didn't mean to make you cry…_

How he'd said he was sorry.

But he couldn't. That was a one-off. He'd treated her like she wasn't even there after that.

"I know Sasuke. There's no way."

"But do you really know him? Does anyone? You may know how he works, what makes him tick, but do you know _him_?"

Sakura remained quiet. She didn't really, did she? Especially after all these years. They'd both changed so much. But no matter how much they'd changed, could something like that happen? Why was she even considering the possibility?

_I never meant to make you cry…_

Sakura told Omri what happened after she broke down on the training field last week. How she'd attacked Sasuke, first with her words and then with her fists and he'd just held her silently until she fell asleep. How she was sure he had shared the same bed because it smelt like him in the morning. How he'd gotten her breakfast. Then how he'd practically ignored her this past week, though he continued to do her washing. How she was still in his room all this time. How she didn't understand it.

Omri looked at her thoughtfully then turned forward and thought some more. Sakura waited anxiously to hear his opinion on the matter. It was so good to talk to someone about it for once. She was so used to keeping things about Sasuke to herself.

"Well, Sakura, you're sure did pick a complicated guy to fall in love with."

Sakura playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, I can't help it!"

"Ow!" Omri rubbed his shoulder. "Watch your power, woman!"

Sakura giggled. "So? What is your answer, oh great shrink?"

"Well, in all seriousness, Sakura, I can't believe that he doesn't care for you at least a little bit. I think you're getting confused because he is. He's confused about what he's feeling and therefore dealing with it the only way he knows how…walking away. He doesn't know what he's doing any more than you do. That's probably why he's stuck us two together. He's pushing you towards someone else so he doesn't have to deal with it."

Sakura thought carefully. She supposed it made sense in a way. It was still hard for her mind to grasp, but it was logical. It still sounded as though he was treating her as though she was just some _thing_, or just _there_. Maybe he just didn't know _how_to treat people in any other way. Maybe he was as scared as she was.

"But I couldn't guess how much he does care for you though, Sakura. Only he would know that."

Sakura frowned. "So what do I do?"

"Decide if you want to do something about it."

Her mind didn't want to, but her heart did. Her heart would probably turn to stone if she didn't. It was only meant for Sasuke. "And if I do?"

Omri smiled. "Don't let him push you away. Push back in the opposite direction. Don't let him take the easy way out. Make him confront you and confront his feelings, whatever they may be."

Fear gripped Sakura. She'd already lost so much. What if she failed again?

**What have you got to lose?**

_Good point._

She was already nothing with Sasuke. The worst she could do was annoy him. At least this way she might find out what he really felt. And she didn't have to throw herself all over him like she used to. She could be nice.

"Okay, so any suggestions?"

"Show him that you love him."

Sakura nearly choked on her own saliva.

"_Excuse me?_"

She_couldn't _do_that_! She'd already been rejected once! She was just going to be nice and let him go first and if he didn't, so be it. But she wasn't ready to put herself up for that kind of let down again.

**What's worse, Sakura? Trying and failing or not trying at all and knowing it might have worked.**

Another good point, but was she ready? Could she?

"I know it must be hard to do, but I think it'll pay off. Sasuke probably thinks that you hate his guts. I mean, even though you fell into his arms crying, you were crying because you were _angry_at him and just wouldn't let him go because you were reliving the events of the day he left. It was a subconscious reaction in part. I bet half the reason he's pushing you together with me is because he thinks you'd never be able to love him again, but if you show him that maybe you just do, it'll cause him to rethink everything he's already accepted to be fact. It'll cause him to _question_ his actions! Sure, there's always the possibility that he'll do the same thing, but what really matters is the possibility that he'll act on it. I guarantee there's that possibility and _you_have to decide whether it's worth it or not."

"I'll…have to think on it." The thought that Sasuke might actually have feelings for her, whether they be of friendship or otherwise (she didn't dare dream of what 'otherwise' might entail), was almost too much for her to digest, much less the thought of _showing_ him that she loved him.

"Do that, but don't wait too long."

"Uh…um…what do you suggest if I decide not to?"

"Well, then you'd probably end up being with me, but you'd never be completely happy and neither would I, knowing your heart forever belongs to someone else."

Being with Omri didn't seem like such a bad thing, it's just that he was her _friend_. It was almost like being with Naruto.

_EW EW EW! No freaking way! _

"But do you really think you're going to choose that option, Sakura?"

"Do…do you…?"

Omri smiled sadly, "Given the chance I probably would, but I hardly know you. We're more like friends anyway."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. She'd feel bad if he'd been in love with her. "I agree completely. And just so you know, if I'd never met Sasuke, I'd be more than happy to be with you."

Omri grinned. "The pleasure would all be mine, Sakura." He kissed her hand again, making her smile. "And besides, like your Sasuke so many years ago, I have some unfinished business myself. Sure, it may not be as huge as killing my own psychotic brother, but it is something I must do. You wouldn't like the Wind Country. You're too warm for that place; though I'm sure that smile of yours could light up the horizon." Sakura beamed at him. Omri sighed. "Just smile like that at Sasuke and I don't know how he'd be able to resist you."

"Thank you for everything, Omri. I seem to say that a lot."

"And I seem to always say thank _you_. You are my damsel in distress and no matter what happens to us in the future, you always will be. Any time you need help, Sakura."

This time Sakura thanked him by hugging him. They stayed there for a few seconds. Sakura sensed he wasn't telling her something, but she decided not to ask. He'd tell her if he wanted to.

When he pulled back he kissed her cheek and said "Good luck, fair Sakura."

---

"My Lord, a Kiru Omri is requesting an audience."

Sasuke grated his teeth as he sat sprawled out on the largest chair in the council room where he'd spent the majority of the afternoon.

What did _he _want? Why wasn't he with Sakura? They'd sure seemed cozy when he'd kissed her hand, making her blush yet again, and they'd hugged for what seemed like hours. It was to him anyway. He knew it was a bad idea to go check on her, but he couldn't help it. And _that_ was the sight he'd been greeted with. It was a good thing they hadn't kissed because Omri wouldn't be alive to request an audience if they had.

But it was bound to come, wasn't it? That's why he'd put Sakura with him in the first place. He'd chosen this. He had to stick by it.

But the thought of her lips on his made him sick to his stomach.

"Let him enter."

He'd hear what the whelp had to say.

Omri walked in and Sasuke managed to maintain his bored expression to the point of perfection.

"My Lord." He said, bowing.

Sasuke merely nodded his head.

"I have come to ask a request of you, my Lord."

"I hardly doubt there is anything I can do for you." His tone was cold. Ice. He'd already done above and beyond what Omri deserved by giving him Sakura. What else could he want?

"I'd…I'd like to request to have someone else train with Sakura, my Lord."

Sasuke's eyes flew open in surprise. "Sakura?"

Omri nodded once. "Yes, my Lord."

What was he doing?

"Why?"

"Um…" Omri swallowed hard. Either he was afraid or this was really hard for him to say. For once, Sasuke didn't know which the case was. "I…I am afraid I have fallen in love with her, my Lord."

Sasuke's anger rose before he pushed it down. This had been his plan after all. "So why do you want her to train with someone else?"

Omri's eyes rose to his and stayed there. "Because her heart belongs to someone else."

Sasuke couldn't breathe.

"And what might you mean by that?"

Even though he was obviously afraid, Omri's eyes did not move from him. He had to admire the man's courage. This couldn't have been easy for him.

"I mean that she is unconditionally in love with someone else and nothing I could ever say or do would persuade her heart otherwise so I'd like to be removed from her presence. It is…too hard."

Sasuke just stared at him. He didn't think he could do anything else. How was he supposed to react to that? Did Omri mean _him_? That Sakura was in love with _him_? That didn't make sense.

But his heart soared at the possibility of it. That impossible possibility.

"Is that all?" He said after what seemed like an eternity. He needed to think about this alone.

"Yes, my Lord."

"You may leave."

Omri turned to leave. As he reached the door, Sasuke stopped him. "Wait!"

Omri turned expectantly.

"Where…where is she? Where is Sakura?"

"I returned her to her room, my Lord."

"Very good. Your request will be granted."

"Thank you, my Lord."

As soon as Omri exited, Sasuke leaned forward on the head chair and interlocked his fingers in thought. This was an interesting development. It was hard for him to believe that Sakura loved him still; after all he'd done to her. He'd have to find out for himself.

---

Sakura collapsed on the bed in a tired heap. She smelt the pillows, wishing Sasuke's scent was still on them.

Honestly, she didn't know what to do. Was it really worth the risk? Sure, she loved Sasuke past the point of distraction, but did that mean she had to _do_ something about it? She'd lived without him before. She could do it again. This time she'd just forgo the sake and stop denying what she felt. It was possible. Sure, it'd hurt for every day she saw him and even more for every day she didn't, but she'd cross that bridge when she came to it. She could live without him. All he ever did was hurt her anyway. No doubt he'd end up doing it again. Her loved was doomed from the beginning.

On the other hand, what did she really have to lose if she showed him she loved him? She didn't have to blow it out of proportion like she'd done when she was 12, but she could show him in little things, like talking to him and refusing to let him ignore her, like Omri had suggested. Like smiling at him. Omri said that'd work.

But just say he _did _feel something, anything, for her, what then? What could possibly come out of that knowledge? Nothing, that's what. Wouldn't it hurt even more knowing that she could be with him but couldn't at the same time? He'd hurt her either way. At least she'd established that much. But if she risked it, she could be rejected. Though she was quite used to rejection by him. That wouldn't be anything new. But would it be opening old wounds again?

But she couldn't deny that she _was_ insatiably curious. She could just imagine…

_What am I thinking? I can't! It'll just be the same thing all over again. I did live through it once, but can I live through it twice?_

**Since when did you become such a coward!**

_Excuse me?_

**You're going to pass up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because you're**scared**? And here I thought you were strong. My mistake.**

_But…but its _Sasuke

**Exactly! It's **Sasuke

Sakura thought. And then she thought again. Then one more time.

_I'll decide when he gets in._

So now all she had to do was wait.

---

Sasuke's heart pounded as he reached his door.

Sakura.

Was it possible that she loved him! Still? Even after all he did?

He shook all thoughts out of his head. He needed his mind to be clear if he was going to deal with this properly.

He opened the door to find Sakura curled up on the other side of the bed, asleep. The corner of his mouth lifted as his gaze drifted over her sleeping form. She was in her medic uniform. The white one that made her hair stand out. She was clutching the corner of the pillow tightly with one hand while the other one was stretched out across the rest of the bed.

She was beautiful.

He walked over to where she slept and looked at her. It was time to pay back all the times she'd stared at him while he was sleeping. He couldn't help himself.

He leaned over her and breathed in the scent of her hair. Wanting to touch it, he lightly put his hand on her hair and trailed his fingers down some strands hanging over her cheek. His fingers gently splayed out over her cheek as he took in her softness.

He shut his eyes and forced himself to breathe.

"How could someone like you ever love someone like me?" He whispered into her hair as he bent down to kiss her forehead.

He finally pulled back and sighed. She wasn't meant for him. She was too good and pure. He was nothing but darkness.

Thinking she'd get cold if she stayed above the covers, he gently picked her up, savoring the feel of her on him, and laid her back down as he pulled the covers over her. How he longed to share that bed with her, but he was forever doomed to sleep on the floor.


	8. Goodbyes and Dried Eyes

**A/N: My internet is stuffed at the moment so it may take me a bit longer to update, but don't worry, I'll always find a way! Enjoy! **

**Eight: Goodbyes and Dried Eyes**

As soon as he heard Sakura turn on the shower he got up and dressed. This morning was the same as all others, yet he felt an urgent sense of expectancy.

She loved him.

_Maybe._

Sakura came out of the bathroom with a smile.

"Good morning, Sasuke!" She said sweetly.

This was weird. She never did that.

"Whatever." He walked past her and into the bathroom to brush his teeth before her smile could get to him.

"Wait!"

As soon as he turned the lights back on he was greeting with some unfamiliar sights. A hairbrush on the sink, and toothbrush lying next to it, still wet from recent use, and there was shampoo and conditioner in the shower.

_What the…_

He spun around and found Sakura peering over his shoulder into the bathroom.

His senses reeled at her closeness, but he made no move to back off. She was always nervous when he stood this close. He grabbed her wrist and pulled it down sharply, a bit too sharply, making her bang into his chest. She smelt like spring. He had to clench his jaw to control himself.

"_What_is _this_?"

He was expecting an angry outburst and some smart ass remark to follow it, but all it got was those big, green eyes staring up at him, almost undoing him.

"Stop looking at me like that, Sakura!"

She looked at him innocently, still far too close for him to be able to relax. "Like what, Sasuke?"

"Like_that_!"

Her face flushed. "Well, this is my face! How else _am_ I supposed to look?"

There was that familiar anger. Except it was a bit different this time. It had to be provoked; it didn't just come on its own.

"Why don't you hate me?"

Sakura's face softened immediately and was filled with a familiar expression. One she'd used when she was 12.

"Because I-" She started with a soft voice, then stopped herself and cleared her throat. "Because I don't want to get frown lines. I can forgive you for practically anything, but not for those."

It was a lie, obviously. She'd always sucked at lying and he'd always been able to read her so well. As much as she may try to control her emotions now, they always ended up showing anyway. Except for when she was fighting. He'd noticed that. But he didn't dare try to think about what she had been going to say first before she stopped.

He raised an eyebrow, still not removing his hand from her wrist, still standing far too close.

"You forgive me?"

Sakura looked down. "I-I guess so."

"And when did that happen?"

"The day you stopped being an asshole." She looked up at him and grinned. "No, wait. You _are_ an asshole. But I guess it happened the day I realized you couldn't help it."

He stood there dumbfounded. She was the strangest girl he'd ever met.

"Then what is this crap in my bathroom?"

She laughed sheepishly. "Um…Omri and I stole it from the girls' change rooms some time ago."

He gritted his teeth at the way she said "Omri and I" like it was completely natural when she'd barely known him for more than two weeks.

"Is that so?"

Her defiant look came back and she pulled her wrist from his hand and put her hands on her hips, a gesture he was becoming familiar with.

"What else was I supposed to do? Ask _you_ for help? You'd sooner help a chicken take a crap! I _needed_ them!"

Sasuke put his hands over his eyes, betraying his cool exterior. "Whatever. I don't care."

He pushed past her and she followed him out.

"That's right, because you don't care about anything!" He turned around to see her shaking her head. "I was wrong. You're not an asshole. You're a _stupid_ asshole."

He wanted to throttle her and kiss her at the same time. It was the weirdest thing he'd ever experienced.

_I want to _kiss_ her? When the hell did _that_ happen? _

"Fascinating. Let's go."

"Whatever. I don't care."

He smirked as he walked out the door. Yep, something strange was happening indeed and he wasn't sure if he hated it as much as he first thought.

---

Sakura was trying to show him that she loved him. She really was. And it was all good while he was just standing there, looking gorgeous, but as soon as he opened that stupid mouth of his (that she wanted to kiss so badly) things went off the deep end. It was hard to remain sweet and nice when he was so _impossible_. He was so hard to love. Kami knows why she had to be the one to do the job.

**Like you could do anything else.**

_Shut up._

She sighed, not caring that Orochimaru was there. Life was so unfair. At least he hadn't been too angry about all the stuff she and Omri stole. It wasn't like he cared enough to be angry.

"So how has Sound been treating you, Sakura?"

She jumped at the sound of Orochimaru's creepy voice. He'd never talked to her before.

_Well, if he wants to talked, we can talk. _That_I can do._

Really, all she wanted to do was give him a piece of her mind.

"At first it was a little weird, but it's okay now. I can deal with this place. It's not as intimidating as you want it to be though. I can kick most of your ninja's asses."

"But not Sasuke's."

"Uchiha-sama's?" She figured it wouldn't be a good idea to remind Orochimaru that she and Sasuke knew each other. It could be dangerous for them. "Well, obviously. If he can kick your ass that badly, I'd barely be as troublesome as a fly to him."

Orochimaru's plastic expression faltered for a second before he recovered himself. "But you have been getting along well?"

"With Uchiha-sama?"

"_Yes._"

If there was one thing she knew how to do well, it was how to be really annoying.

"Oh, I didn't think he got along with anyone, least of all me."

But Orochimaru wouldn't give up. "But you knew him when you were younger, did you not?"

So he knew, eh? Well, she could work with that too. "Well, yes, in a way. But this Sasuke is a different Sasuke." She figured it was safe to call him by his first name now. "That Sasuke back then was what I call Sasuke Number One, when he resembled a human being. This Sasuke is more like a machine. A killing machine with a really bad temper. I call this one Sasuke Number Two, or as all you guys like to call him, Uchiha-sama. I don't know this Sasuke anymore than I know your mother, who you probably killed."

Orochimaru's snake eyes narrowed. "Is that so?"

Sakura nodded emphatically. "Mmm-hmmm. It's really weird sometimes, though. I mean, I know he knows who I am and stuff, but sometimes he looks at me as if I'm just some random medic. I guess coz that's all he sees me as." She leaned forward slightly and whispered. "My theory is that during his fight with Itachi, he suffered a blow to his head and became a little deranged. I _am_ a top medic. I should know."

"I see." Orochimaru looked at her steadily for a few seconds and she guessed he didn't see anything he could call her on. "That is all I need from you today. You may leave."

"But-"

"I'm sure you know your way around by now."

Sakura looked at the clock. It was only 10:30.

_Oh well. Maybe I can heal some people before lunch._

She stood up and walked out without another word. Why, after all this time, had he decided to talk to her now? And what was with all those questions about Sasuke? It was just weird and if there was one thing she'd learned about Orochimaru, it was never to look at things as how they seemed. He _always_ had some hidden agenda. Always. What was it this time?

She rounded a random corner and walked into a hard chest. She looked up and gasped.

"Oh, Sasuke!"

He stepped back and looked at her curiously. "What are you doing here, Sakura? Aren't you supposed to be with Orochimaru?"

"Well, yes, but he let me go."

"Why?"

Of all people, Sasuke would know that Orochimaru must be up to something.

"I don't know, but he just started talking to me."

"What about?"

Sakura paused, which Sasuke didn't fail to notice.

"What about, Sakura."

"He was asking me questions about you."

Sasuke's face went blank and he cursed quietly, betraying his emotionless face.

"We can't talk here." He looked around, saw a door, and pulled Sakura into it.

It was the very same maintenance closet she and Omri had been in before.

"Not this place _again_! It stinks!"

"You've been in here before?"

_I said that out loud?_

She looked down sheepishly. "Uh…yeah. I was in here with Omri."

Sasuke went rigid and grabbed her arm harshly, roughly pulling her to him. "And _what_, may I ask, were you two doing in here?" He said through his teeth.

_Why is he so angry?_

Sakura looked away and blushed, hoping he didn't see it, but Kami knows what he could see with the Sharingan, which he had activated. It made her nervous.

"We…uh…well…"

"_What_?"

She pulled out of his grasp abruptly and put her hands on her hips. "Nothing inappropriate, if that's what you were thinking."

"Sakura, you were in a dark closet _alone_ with him. What else am I supposed to think?"

"Well, we're in here _alone_ and we're not making out or anything." Not that she'd mind, but still! "Why do you care anyway? I can't believe you think I'd be so low as to just bring some guy in here to do…_stuff_!" She kept moving back in a bid to get as far away from him as possible. Being with him in here like this was doing strange things to her heart. "You're impossible!"

"Sakura-"

Sasuke reached out to her, probably to pull her away from the fast approaching wall, but his action had the opposite effect and she jumped away from him.

"Don't – _OW_!"

She sunk to the ground and rubbed her head vigorously.

She saw the smirk on Sasuke's face and glared at him. "This is your fault, you know! If you hadn't been such an asshole, maybe I wouldn't have gotten so angry in the first place."

Sasuke approached her and held out his hand. "Shut up, Sakura."

Sakura looked away, crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. She knew it was immature, but she didn't _care_. He was such an _asshole_! "I'm fine, thank you."

Sasuke didn't move and smirked again. "Sakura, either you get up now or I make you."

"Fine."

She put her hand in his and the air immediately intensified.

He pulled her up a little too strongly and she crashed into his chest again.

"Uh…" Was all she seemed to be able to manage. He didn't move. She wanted to kiss him so badly. All she could do was stare at his lips and wish he never let her go. But like all good things with him, it came to an end far too quickly as he took a step back.

He looked at her and rubbed the back of his head in a somewhat awkward manner.

_What the hell? Since when was Sasuke ever _awkward

"How…um…how's your head."

Sakura, relieved for a distraction, felt the back of her head and winced. "It's okay. There's a bit of a bump."

"You okay?"

Okay, Sasuke was definitely acting weird.

"Yeah, I've suffered a lot worse." She healed it quickly. "All gone." She cleared her throat. "So, uh, what were we talking about?"

"Orochimaru." Sasuke said in a somewhat distracted manner, activated his Sharingan again and raked his gaze over her body. It felt weird to be so open to his gaze and she crossed her arms over chest.

"Would you stop that!"

"Whatever." Sasuke's eyes returned to black. "Now tell me exactly what Orochimaru said to you and exactly what you said to him.

Sakura obediently relayed every part of the brief conversation to him and when she finished he stood there, a few feet from her, with a thoughtful expression on his handsome face.

As Sakura silently studied him she decided that he'd definitely gotten more handsome as he grew older and thanked Kami no one had managed to land a blow on that striking face of his. He was definitely the most handsome guy she'd ever seen. Even more handsome than Naruto, who'd grown up to be quite the looker (though he kind of ruined it when he opened his mouth and he reverted back to looking like a 12-year-old to her).

"What is he doing now?" Sasuke said more to himself than her.

Sakura shrugged. "Something evil most likely."

Sasuke turned his dark-eyed gaze on her and she felt like squirming under the intensity of it. "Yes, probably, but what does it have to do with you and what does it have to do with me?"

Sakura had to look away from that stare. "I have no idea." She whispered. Who knew what Orochimaru was thinking? You'd have to be as psycho as him just to make a guess.

Sasuke sighed and abruptly pulled her against him.

"Wha-"

A couple of seconds later she found herself in his room. This time had been longer than all the other times and she wondered why. Well, who was she to complain? If it meant she got have his arms around her a bit longer that was perfectly fine with her.

"Stay here."

She grabbed his arm before he could reach the door.

"And what are you going to do?"

He didn't make any move to remove his arm from her grasp, but instead looked at her softly. Sakura swore she could hear her heart pounding.

"I'm going to try to find out what's going on."

"But-"

Sasuke put his hand on the side of her face. Sakura thought she might collapse.

"This is serious, Sakura. You _need_ to stay in here for a bit. It's for your own safety. I'll bring you something to eat later. Just wait for me here, okay?"

Sakura couldn't have answered him even if she wanted to. The only thoughts she could form were:

_Holy crap!_

And that was about it.

The next time she blinked, Sasuke was gone.

Sakura put her hand on her face where Sasuke's had been and sat on the bed in wonder.

---

Naruto was finally on their trail. It had taken him long enough and that had annoyed him to no end. Sasuke had covered his tracks well. Mainly because there _were_ no tracks to cover. Naruto figured he transported himself everywhere and no one had seen him. He'd heard rumors from superstitious town folk, about a man with red eyes. It could very well be Itachi for all they knew. They had no eye witnesses. Whoever the 'man with the red eyes' was, he'd made sure he'd killed everyone who'd seen his face. And these rumors had come from everywhere, not just one country, making Naruto's task next to impossible.

At first Naruto had thought that the Sound would be hidden somewhere with thick vegetation, like the Land of Waves or the Land of Mist, even the Land of Fire perhaps, but after a fruitless search he'd remembered what Kakashi-sensei had said to him so long ago. To look for the hidden meaning beneath the hidden meaning, or something like that.

What could be a better hiding place than out in the open? No one would expect it and perhaps someone there was able to perform some strange jutsu to hide it. He figured there were all typed of weird ass jutsus out there, and Orochimaru knew more than anyone else.

So he'd come to Sand. He didn't know why he picked this place first, but something in his gut told him to go there. And he was close. He could smell it. They were definitely here. But where? Sand was a vast and barren country. Everything looked the same.

Although he knew where to start, it was a long way to the finish. But how long did Sakura have left?

---

Sasuke returned to his room troubled. As soon as he entered, Sakura jumped up from the bed and approached him.

"So?"

It was now around 7 at night. Sakura had been sitting there for hours and hours without complaint with nothing to do but think. In fact, she'd never complained even when he'd made her do it before. She only approached him about training after four days or so. His heart warmed at her patience and obvious concern.

He shook his head. "If Orochimaru's one thing, he's evil. But that also means he's cunning and knows how to cover his tracks."

Sakura's face fell. "So you didn't find out anything."

Sasuke walked over to the bathroom door, intending to go in, but Sakura put herself in between him and the door. "Why not?"

"I couldn't just go around, threatening people for information. While I'm sure they'd give it to me, I had no idea who would have that information and Orochimaru would surely find out that I was sniffing around. He'd still have the upper hand. _We_need it."

For her safety, it was absolutely imperative.

"But you're certain it has something to do with us."

"Positive. If nothing happens we will go about business as usual tomorrow, but be on your guard with everyone."

Sakura nodded slowly before she shut her eyes and bit her lip.

"What is it?" He asked softly. He didn't like it when Sakura was in pain. It caused him pain.

Sakura lowered her gaze to the floor.

"Sasuke…I…I'm scared. Orochimaru…he…we can't…you can't…" Her voice trailed off as she struggled to keep her tears at bay.

Sasuke leaned forward and placed one hand on the door next to her head. He put his other hand under her chin and gently raised her head so she would look at him. His obsidian eyes bore into her green ones.

"Sakura, I won't let anything happen to you. I promise. I swear it. I won't." The utter conviction in his voice made him want to try even harder to convince her. He would _never_ let harm come to his Sakura. He'd sooner die than see her hurt.

Sakura looked at him in unbelief. She couldn't trust him. Not after he'd betrayed them last time.

He had to make her believe him!

He moved his hand from her chin to cup her face gently. A single tear slipped down her face and he wiped it away with his thumb. He couldn't stand to see her cry.

"Sakura, I would never…" He hoped she didn't notice how his hands trembled…how his words caught in his throat. She was like a drug…one he _never_ wanted to quit. He loved her.

_I love her. I love you._

How he longed to say it, but he couldn't. He just couldn't.

Seeing that the unbelief still remained in her eyes, his heart clenched.

His voice dropped to a whisper as he leaned closer so their faces were only inches apart.

"Sakura…_please_…"

Unable to stand it, unable to stand the pain he alone had caused, he brought his lips forward until they were mere centimeters from hers. He hesitated, not sure how she would react. But she didn't move.

For a few seconds (that seemed more like a few millenniums) he stayed there, undecided. He wanted this, but what would happen?

_But I love her._

Finally decided he finally touched his lips to hers and felt his heart melt and his chest explode as she gently pushed back.

He shut his eyes and completely gave himself over the sensations wracking his body in waves. He dug his fingers in her hair and pulled her closer. He wanted to feel every inch of her, wanted to feel the way she wanted him, wanted her to feel what she made him feel.

When they finally pulled back for air he noticed more tears had slipped down her cheeks. He wiped them away before they could fall any further.

He rested his forehead against hers and shut his eyes. His hand left the wall and rested around her waist. He slowly moved his thumb across her cheek. "Please don't cry, Sakura. I can't stand it…"

Her hands settled on the hard planes of his chest and fisted into his clothes as a sob escaped her.

"No…no…Sasuke, I'm happy…"

He captured her lips again, slightly harder this time, wanting more of her, everything he could get.

She collapsed against the door behind her and he leaned into her. Her hands moved up his chest and to his neck as she pulled him closer. He opened his mouth against hers and she willingly followed, deepening their kiss.

He moved his hand into her soft hair, letting it fall over his fingers as his mouth moved with hers in perfect harmony.

_Sakura…_

Her name repeated over and over in his head as their kiss continued to grow, their passion flaring.

How had he lived so long without this? Without her? How could he possibly walk away from her now?

They finally separated and he kissed her cheek, her forehead, her neck. She sighed.

"Sakura…" He whispered before he kissed her just below her ear, making a shiver pass down her spine.

"Yes, Sasuke?" She asked breathlessly before he pulled back and rested his forehead on hers again.

"We need to stop."

He opened his eyes and looked into her green ones.

Her hands moved back down to his chest and his shut his eyes against the sensation of it.

"You're right."

He opened his eyes as he moved a hand to cup her face again.

"I know." He said before he kissed her again, holding her lips captive with his own, not letting her go until he had to breathe again.

He sighed as he pulled back further and covered one of her hands that still lay on his chest, enclosing it with his own. His other hand went back to the door beside her head so he could distance his body from hers before desire over took him again.

"We_really _need to stop." It was the last thing he wanted to do, but he was afraid that if he kept going he wouldn't be able to stop himself from going _too_ far and he didn't think either of them wanted that.

She nodded, seemingly unable to speak. She understood what he meant.

He let go of her hand and turned to leave, but she grasped his hand in her small one.

He looked at her curiously, but didn't turn away.

"I don't want to sleep alone tonight."

He looked at her for a second before he nodded wordlessly. Neither did he.

She led him to the bed, just as wordlessly. He pulled her into his arms from behind and kissed her hair.

"Goodnight, Sakura."

He could have sworn she said "Goodbye, Sasuke." But there was no way to tell.

---

Sasuke opened his eyes slowly as he heard a loud banging on his door. All he wanted to do was go back to sleep and surrender to the warmth he had in his arms.

_Sakura._

Memories of last night came flooding back to him as he looked down to see her sleeping still. So beautiful. Omri was right. She did love him still, Kami knows why.

The loud knocking continued and Sasuke groaned. He just wanted to stay here for as long as possible with Sakura folded in his arms, head resting on his chest.

But the knocking continued still.

This had damn well better be important or whoever was outside the door wasn't going to live past 5 minutes.

He looked down at Sakura and gently brushed the hair back from her face.

"Sakura, you need to wake up."

She groaned and moved closer to him.

She mumbled something but all he heard was "Too warm."

He smirked. "Get up, Sakura."

"_Fine_."

She rolled back and rubbed her eyes while yawning. Why did she have to be so adorable?

"What the hell is that knocking?"

He was about to find out. He got out of the bed and walked over to the door. He opened it angrily to see Omri standing on the other side of it. He was about to punch him in the face until he saw the panicked expression on his face.

"What?" Sasuke asked, worried.

"They're after you." He said breathlessly. He'd been running.

"_What_?" Sasuke pulled Omri into the room and shut the door behind him. Sakura immediately got out of the bed and walked over to them.

Sasuke was glaring at Omri while Omri was obviously terrified at the thought of being in his room.

Sakura gently laid her hand on Omri's arm and Sasuke immediately pulled it off.

She gave him an exasperated look and turned to Omri.

"What happened?"

"Orochimaru. He's after you, Sakura."

Fear gripped Sasuke, threatening to paralyze him. "_WHAT?_"

Omri shook his head. "They…he knows what Sakura means to you. He's getting everyone together as we speak. He's planning to get her and use her against you. You have to leave."

Sakura's eyes widened as Sasuke cursed. He should have known. This had been Orochimaru's plan all along. He didn't care about his arms. He knew Sasuke would still beat him anyway. He just needed a way to overthrow Sasuke and Sakura had provided that opportunity. And Sasuke had been too distracted by Sakura's presence to figure out what he had been planning, just like Orochimaru had wanted.

_Damn it all._

He turned to Sakura. He could let them get to her, whatever it took. "Get dressed. We need to leave, _now_."

"Why can't we fight?"

"Sakura, I may be the most powerful ninja here, but I don't think I can take down an entire compound of Sound ninjas. Do you really want me to kill that many people anyway? I can't risk losing. We have to escape."

Sakura looked down. "Okay. Just give me a second to get changed."

Sakura grabbed her training clothes and ran into the bathroom.

Sasuke finally turned to Omri. "Thank you for warning us."

Omri shrugged. "The last thing I want is for Sakura to leave, but I know her best chances are with you." He paused for a second. "You love her, don't you?"

Sasuke smirked. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Not to her. But I'm glad you do. Now I know I made the right decision in hinting that she loves you."

"If it weren't for that I probably would never have figured it out."

Omri shrugged again and smiled. "I know."

Despite his relationship with Sakura, Sasuke was beginning to like the guy.

Sakura came out and approached them again. "Okay, let's go."

Sasuke nodded and pulled Sakura to him, but when he tried to transport out of the compound he found he couldn't.

"Shit!"

Sakura looked up at him, worried. "What? What is it?"

"Orochimaru knew that if I found out I'd try to transport out of here so he blocked the flow."

"The flow?" Omri asked curiously.

"Not now. We need to figure out another way to get out."

Sakura looked at him. "I can punch through walls, you know."

She stated the fact as though she was observing the weather. He didn't think he'd ever get used to her abilities.

Omri shrugged. "It'd work."

"They'd hear it."

"They'd find out you were leaving sooner or later anyway. This way is quick. Just transport yourselves to a wall and Sakura can punch the way out. Though the walls may have been summoned out of the ground, they are plausible."

Sasuke nodded. "I can run pretty damn fast anyway." He turned to Sakura. "Okay, let's go."

He put his arms around her waist to pull her close to him, but she stepped back.

"We need to take Omri."

He clenched his jaw. "_Why_?" He may like the guy, but not _that_ much.

"He deserves a chance to leave as much as we do. He's helped us so much already."

He couldn't resist those eyes. He looked at Omri. "Put your arms around Sakura."

Omri did as he said and Sasuke forced himself not the think of the fact that Omri had his arms around _his_Sakura. It would only be for a few seconds.

He opened his eyes and they were standing by an outer wall. They had already been sighted. The alarm had been sounded.

"Quick, Sakura!"

Sakura ran towards the 4-foot thick wall and punched a gaping hole through it. The sound was thunderous. She was incredible.

She looked back at them, covered in dust. "Well, come on!"

They ran out as the ninja started to come. Sasuke was able to see the compound walls from the outside, but Sakura and Omri were staring at it in disbelief. He figured all they could see was sand, besides the big hole in the seemingly invisible wall that gave away the Sound's secret.

"Holy crap! No wonder no one can find this place!" Sakura exclaimed.

"It's not all that difficult, really."

She gaped at him. "_You_did this?"

"I_am_ doing it, yes. The Sharingan blinds the outsiders' to the compound. It penetrates the part of the brain that controls the eyesight and blocks it slightly, making whatever I want invisible. I don't even have to maintain it consciously. I just have to think it once and it continues until I consciously release it."

"That's amazing!" Sakura cried.

Sasuke smirked and released their eyesight, exposing the large compound. They gasped in unison.

"You hide something this big without thinking about it?" Omri gaped.

"Pretty much."

He didn't have any time to reply as 20 elite ninja ran out of the compound.

"Looks like you'll get to fight after all, Sakura." Unless he killed them all first. 20 elite? What a pitiful effort. He'd killed the entire Ataksuki single-handedly.

Before they could get within 10 feet of them, Sasuke activated his Sharingan and paralyzed them.

"So much for fighting." He heard Sakura mutter.

He smirked and performed a jutsu which disabled their nervous system using various hand signs. They collapsed to the ground immediately. They'd only remain like that for a couple of hours.

"So why don't you do that to the entire Sound?"

"There's over 500 Sound nin. It'd deplete too much chakra and it would take me a long time to get it back because my chakra remains there for as long as they are paralyzed. Though my limits may be few and far between, I still have them."

Omri turned to them. "You need to leave now. Orochimaru will send the whole village after you soon."

Sasuke tested the air currents and cursed again. "He's blocked all the air currents. I can't transport anywhere outside of the compound."

Omri gaped at him again. "Air currents?"

"That's how we transport. We use our chakra to pull our bodies through the natural air currents faster than the speed of light. Orochimaru has blocked all the air currents."

Now it was Sakura's turn to gape. "He can _do_that?"

Sasuke nodded. "I may be more powerful than him, but he still knows more jutsus than me. I never learnt how to block and unblock air currents."

"So now what?" Sakura asked.

"We run before the entire Sound comes. I can still make us invisible to the human eye and I can run 100 times as fast as them, though I may be slowed down by carrying you. Only slightly though."

"Okay." Sakura walked up to Omri and grasped his hands in her own. "Omri, this is your chance to escape and return to your village like you wanted. The Sound will be too busy looking for Sasuke and me to search for you. They'll soon forget you were ever there."

"But I can't leave you, Sakura." His voice was pained and Sasuke could not help but feel sorry for him. It was the only reason he didn't tear Sakura away from him now. Omri loved Sakura too. Walking away from her must be the hardest thing he'd ever have to do. Judging by the expression on Omri's face, he figured Sakura didn't know that Omri loved her.

"Omri, you _have_ to! I shall never be happy if I don't know that you haven't completed your dream! I shall worry about you incessantly and it will slow me down! Do you really want me to suffer like that? Do it for my sake as well as your own!"

Sasuke forcibly rooted himself to the spot. He knew Sakura was just trying to get him to leave her for his own good, but did she really have to say all that? She was practically professing her love for him.

"Okay, Sakura. For you I will."

"I will always remember what you did for me, Omri." She had tears in her eyes. "I will never forget you. You gave me happiness and hope in the midst of my turmoil and I am forever indebted to you because of that. I will never forget you for as long as I live."

Sasuke felt sick. The only reason he didn't rip them apart now is because this was important to Sakura. _Too_ important for his liking.

Sakura hugged him tightly and didn't let go as Omri returned it in full force.

"We need to leave, Sakura." He said impatiently.

Sakura pulled back and continued to look at Omri. "Okay. Goodbye, Omri. Remember me as I will remember you."

"I will and more so. You are my angel, Sakura. My damsel in distress." Sakura smiled and Sasuke hated that he wasn't in on the understanding. "Keep smiling or _my_ hope will be gone." He put his hands on either side of her face and looked into her eyes. This was getting _far_ too intimate for Sasuke's liking.

"Sakura…" Sasuke said with a warning tone in his voice. He just wanted to_leave_.

"My next goal is to see you again. I swear it."

Sasuke repressed the urge to growl. He _definitely_ didn't like this. "Let's go, Sakura."

"I'll hold you to that, Omri." She turned to leave, but Omri grabbed her hand, pulled her back in and kissed her hard.

Now that was _too far_. Sasuke immediately appeared in between them and pushed Omri back.

"I suggest you start walking…fast."

Omri didn't back down. "You owe me that much, _Sasuke_. I practically gave her over to you!"

Sakura put her hands on her hips. "I am _not_some _thing_to be _handed around_!"

Sasuke barely paid notice to her. "And I am grateful, but touch her like that again and you won't live to see another day, understand?"

Suddenly Sasuke found himself flying back and landed in the sand 10 feet away. He looked up to see Omri in a similar position, Sakura standing in the middle of them, seething.

_I really should watch out for that strength of hers._

She turned to Omri first and her face softened a little. "Omri, I'll miss you dearly, but I really think you should leave now. I can't exactly stop Sasuke."

Then she turned to Sasuke and all the anger returned to her face.

_Of course she's angry at _me

"As for you! What the hell is your problem! He just kissed me! Big deal! I might never see him again! It's a perfectly natural reaction!"

Sasuke stalked up to her. "Oh, so you _enjoyed_ it?" He said coldly, but pain was tearing through his chest. "Why don't you just go off with him then, hm?"

"Because I don't love _him_, though sometimes I wish did." She turned around and started walking the opposite direction. She stopped when she realized he wasn't following her. "So are you coming or are you just going to let ninja tear you to pieces?"

Did she just admit she loved him?

He shook his head to get his mind on the task ahead. He'd think about that later, when they were safe.

---

They hadn't gotten far, even with Sasuke's super speed, when 50 ninja appeared in front of them, seemingly out of no where.

"How did they do that?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Transported themselves through sound waves."

He didn't have time elaborate as the ninja attacked. 10 went for Sakura, 40 went for Sasuke.

Sasuke tried to paralyze them, but it seemed as though they had a sound barrier around them. He didn't seem fazed at all and attacked them. At that point Sakura could no longer watch him as she had her hands full.

It was a flurry of kicks and punches and breaking ground. These ninja were good. She would have had no problem with them if there were only a couple, but there were 10. She'd never fought so many people at one time before and never ninja this good.

_Crap, crap, crap!_

She noticed they weren't trying to kill her, just apprehend her. They were obviously still planning to use her against Sasuke.

She was losing. Her chakra was depleting quickly and she was getting worn out. There were just too many ninja.

She didn't dare look over to Sasuke for fear that if her concentration was disabled for only a second, she'd be overtaken. She was barely holding them off.

She was fighting the ninja simultaneously and soon could not keep tabs on where they all were. A whistling sound made her turn and she realized she'd only dodged a shrukin by a few centimeters.

This would not last much longer.

She heard more shrukin fly through the air towards her, but she could not move while she was trying to fend off the other ninja.

_They're going to get me!_

Though she knew it would not be fatal, it would still hurt and she doubted she'd be able to fight any longer.

But the shrukin never hit.

_What the…_

Unable to help herself, she turned around to see Sasuke bleeding on the sand, 10 shrukin sticking out of various places of his body.

"_NO_!"

She was furious. She punched a 50 foot deep chasm in the ground that immediately swallowed all the ninja up whole. She used her chakra to push the walls back together, squashing them inside.

The jutsu had taken up most of her chakra and she collapsed on the sand next to Sasuke, who was breathing shallowly. Sakura forced herself up to look at him. They shrukin had pierced all his vital organs and if she didn't do something about it, he'd die from the injuries, if not the blood loss.

But her chakra was nearly out after that last stunt.

"Why did you do that?"

He'd put himself in front of the shrukin that would have killed her. He'd been willing to sacrifice his life for her own, but she wasn't going to let him die.

"Don't you dare leave me again, Sasuke. I won't let you!"

He looked up at her weakly and managed a smirk. The man was still an arrogant bastard even when he was dying.

She quickly pulled the shrukin out as a mental image similar to the one before her came to her. It was when Kakashi-sensei had been testing them and had fooled her with an image of Sasuke pierced in various places with shrukin.

But this was no false image. Sasuke was really here and he was dying.

She used her chakra to seal the wounds so at least the bleeding wouldn't kill him. He was still a bloody mess. Sakura ripped his shirt open to get better access to his skin.

_Okay…okay. This is just like any other situation on the battle field. Find out which is the most serious wound and heal that first. Work your way down._

But she was running out of chakra fast. She wouldn't have enough to search through his wounds.

Sasuke groaned. "Sakura…don't use up all your chakra on me."

"Stop talking, Sasuke. It'll make it worse." But she could already feel her chakra depleting further.

She healed the vital organs first. The heart, the liver, the lungs, the kidney. That ninja had gotten everything.

When she was done she almost collapsed. She felt lightheaded and felt as though she could barely lift her hand. But she refused to give up until he was in safe territory. She couldn't heal all his wounds, but she could give them a head start.

It took her twice as long and it was twice as hard. She had barely any chakra left.

When she was satisfied with her work, she allowed herself to collapse on his chest.


	9. Reunite the Fight

**A/N: Okay, so I'm uploading this chapter from my friend's computer so everyone who likes this fic be really grateful!!! **

**Just a couple of things my reviewers may be wondering about:**

**Who cares about Naruto? This is about Sasuke and Sakura!!!But yeah, he's in this chapter. **

**Sasuke IS way more powerful that Orochimaru BUT because everyone hates Sasuke (coz' he's so cold and distant and scary) they want to overthrow him so when Orochimaru presents the opportunity through Sakura, they take it. Sasuke knows he can't take on the whole village so he leaves with Sakura, fearing that they'll capture her. Sorry if i didn't make that clear!!! In the near future I'll probably rewrite the chapter and try and make it a bit more clear for you guys! **

**I'm also sorry if any of my Naruto ninja terms are incorrect! I'll try to make it more accurate in the future! **

**Nine: Reunite to Fight  
**

Sasuke looked down at Sakura who was still unconscious in his arms. She'd been like that for hours and he was starting to get worried. Did it usually take this long for chakra to replete itself? He had no idea. And what's worse, he didn't know what to do. He knew he'd kill Orochimaru for even thinking of putting her life in danger. What if she died?

He didn't let himself think of it. It just couldn't happen. End of story.

He'd been walking and walking, still to weak to run fast, and that had also annoyed him. He'd taken down the 50 ninja in no time, but he could tell Sakura had been having trouble. And when he saw those shrukin flying towards her…

But he hadn't expected her to almost kill herself to try to save his life. He wished she hadn't done so much. He had a faster healing rate than the average ninja, thanks to his extra supply of chakra, and a very high tolerance for pain. She didn't have an extra supply of chakra. He wished he could give her some of his, but he hadn't figured out how to do that yet. He'd had no one to practice on. He couldn't risk it. What if he had accidentally given them too much and they grew more powerful than him? No, he definitely couldn't risk it, but for Sakura's life, he'd give away _all_his chakra.

"What the hell did you do to her, you bastard?"

Sasuke looked up in surprise to see Naruto standing 10 feet away from him pointing his finger at Sasuke accusingly.

Naruto had grown tall and handsome, though that hardly mattered. He was still as annoying as ever.

"I didn't do anything to her, you dobe." His anger vanished as he looked at Sakura in his arms. And he was helpless to do anything. "I…I think she's dying. I don't know."

Naruto's face immediately sobered and he walked up to them. He put his hand on Sakura's head.

"What happened?"

"We were fighting. I was fighting forty elite Sound nin, she was fighting ten. I finished mine off quickly, but she was having trouble. I almost didn't get to her in time. Ten shrukin were heading towards her and I put myself in the way. They pierced all my vital organs and I was dying. She used the very last of her chakra to heal me. I didn't ask her to. I couldn't stop her. Then she collapsed and hasn't woken up since."

Naruto was staring at him. "_Forty_elite Sound ninja!"

"Not now."

"Right, right." He looked around. They were still in the middle of the desert. "I could take her back to Konoha. I can run really fast, you know. She'd be there in a couple of hours."

Sasuke shook his head. "She can't be moved that fast. We have no idea what's going on in her body. And I'm not leaving her. She'd just come back looking for me anyway."

Naruto took one look at the expression on his face and nodded. "Okay. Then we need to find some shelter for her. Let her body recuperate. I passed an oasis not ten miles from here."

"It'll do."

"How fast can you run?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Not fast. My body is still recuperating itself. It won't take much longer, though. I can keep up."

"I'll take Sakura then."

Sasuke nodded once and handed her over to him wordlessly, wishing she could still be in his arms.

---

Sakura blinked rapidly, her eyes trying to adjust to the light.

_How long have I been out?_

She still felt incredibly weak.

"Sakura?"

_Sasuke!_

She sat up abruptly, ignoring the sharp pain in her skull, and found Sasuke standing over her.

"Are you okay, Sasuke?"

Sasuke smirked. "I think I should be asking you that question."

Sakura stood up and swayed unsteadily. Sasuke steadied her.

"Well, I wasn't the one pierced with ten shrukin!"

Sasuke didn't let go of her. "Sakura, you nearly used all your chakra on me. You've been unconscious for hours."

"Details, details." She waved her hand dismissively. "Now, let me get a look at you."

She tried to brush back his open shirt that she herself had ripped open, but he took both of her hands in one of his and pulled them away.

"Sakura,_you're _the one who should be healing, not me. I'm fine. I have a faster healing rate than the average ninja."

Sakura glared at him, but she could already feel her strength waning. "Well, you could have told me that _before_ I got so worried and used all my chakra on you!"

"I still would have died."

She reached for his shirt again. "Then what are you on about? Let me have a look!"

He pulled her hands away again. "I told you I'm fine. Now sit down before you fall down. I don't want Naruto on my ass for something else. He's so annoying."

"Naruto? Naruto's here?"

"Yes."

Sakura looked around frantically. "Where is he?" She spun around to search for him and almost fell over. She fell back into Sasuke instead.

"Sit down, Sakura. He just went to find food. He'll be back."

Sakura shut her eyes, relishing the feel of his arms around her waist. "Okay."

He helped her sit down then moved a few feet away and sat down himself, forearms resting on his raised knees, fingers interlocked. His thinking position.

What was he thinking about?

Their kiss, maybe?

_Holy crap! I kissed Sasuke! I _kissed SASUKE

So many times had she imagined it happening and so many times she told herself it would never happen. But it had happened along with a dozen other crazy things that seemed the stuff of imaginations…but this was the craziest by far.

She glanced at him.

_Now what?_

She'd never imagined what would happen _after_ the kiss. That was about the time she told herself she was a stupid idiot for even imagining it. But it had _happened_.

"So…um…"

"Sakura! You're awake!"

Naruto burst into the small clearing and dropped the fruit in his hands as he saw Sakura sitting up.

Sasuke looked at him calmly. "You're going to bruise the food, idiot. Pick it up."

Naruto ignored the food and ran over to Sakura, jumping all around her to see if she was alright.

"_NARUTO!_" He froze. She smiled. "I'm perfectly fine. Just ask Sasuke."

Naruto glared at Sasuke.

"She's not fine. She stood up and almost fainted."

Sakura gasped and glared at Sasuke. "Traitor!"

"Sakura! What were you thinking! You almost died! You of all people should know to take it easy! Isn't that what you always tell me when _I_ get hurt?"

"Naruto…"

Naruto kneeled in front of her and went serious. "Please don't scare me like that again, Sakura. I was really worried about you. I think I gave the old woman Hokage twice as many migraines as usual, and that's quite a bit."

Sakura smiled gently and put her arms around Naruto. "Thank you for coming to find me, Naruto. I promise I won't scare you like that again."

Naruto hugged her back tightly. "You better not, though I guess it wasn't_your _fault this time." He glared at Sasuke, who was looking away.

"Oh, it wasn't all that bad, really. I even made some friends."

Naruto stared at her in surprise. "You made _friends_in _Sound_? Wow, Sakura, that's really something! I thought everyone there was as stuck up as Sasuke!"

Sakura giggled. "No, I think he's in a class of his own."

Sasuke looked at them. "Are you two about done?"

Naruto jumped at and pointed his finger at Sasuke. "Hey, I still haven't forgiven you for taking Sakura yet, _Sasuke_!"

"And you expect me to care?"

Naruto went red. "Yes! How could you take Sakura without taking me, you bastard?"

"You are seriously the single most retarded person I've ever met." Sasuke looked at Sakura. Her heart quickened. How could he still do that?

"Is he the only one who hasn't changed, or is there anything else I need to look out for?"

"_HEY!_"

Sakura smiled. "No, I think it's just him."

"That's good to know seeing as so much else has."

Was there a double meaning to those words?

Naruto continued to glare at Sasuke. "Well, _you're_still the same! You'll _always _be a bastard!"

"And you will always be a dobe."

Sakura giggled. It was just like old times.

She sighed. "Team 7 back together again."

Naruto jumped up. "Believe it!"

Sasuke crossed his arms and scowled. "Why can't I seem to get excited?"

Yep, everything was still the same as always…except she and Sasuke had kissed. _Kissed!_

**Don't think about it, Sakura. You won't be able to function.**

_Got that right!_

Sasuke stood up and brushed his pants off. "We need to eat and then we need to leave. Orochimaru will be on our trail." He walked over to where Naruto had dropped up the fruit and picked some up, wiping it clean on his pants.

"I still can't believe that creepy snake bastard is still getting the upper hand on you, Sasuke!" Naruto said.

Sakura smirked. "Didn't Sasuke tell you, Naruto? Sasuke is twice as powerful as Orochimaru now."

Naruto gaped at her then gaped and Sasuke, who walked over to Sakura and handed her some fruit.

"No way!" He resumed his glare as Sasuke sat back down. "If you're so powerful, why are you running from him then?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Because of Sakura."

Sure, of course he made it sound like it was _her_ fault!

Naruto looked between the two of them. "What, I don't get it?"

Sakura blushed. What was she supposed to say? That they'd left because she'd started to mean something to Sasuke and Orochimaru wanted to use it against him? _She_didn't even know what she meant to Sasuke. Not really, even though it _must_be something, seeing as he'd kissed her and all.

"Didn't expect you to. Now eat so we can leave."

Naruto ignored Sasuke and turned to Sakura. "Do you want any, Sakura?"

Sakura smiled. "Oh, thanks, Naruto, but Sasuke already gave me some."

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he turned to Sasuke! "What the hell did you do that for, bastard? _I_was going to give her food!"

"Okay, next time I'll just let her starve until you remember to give her some."

Naruto grabbed some fruit and sat down muttering "Stupid bastard Sasuke."

---

Naruto was a babbling idiot, but even Sasuke could see that he cared deeply for Sakura…and that she cared deeply for him.

A pang of jealousy stabbed him, but this was a different kind. He knew there was nothing of the…romantic nature going on between Sakura and Naruto, but he couldn't help but envy their easy-going relationship as he watched them interact. Naruto would do something stupid to make Sakura laugh, and then she scolded him for being such an idiot. Naruto would come to his own defense and say something even more stupid by accident and make Sakura mad. Then she threatened to punch his head clear off his shoulders and he apologized profusely. Sakura always ended up smiling and forgiving him. Naruto always ended up making her happy. Something Sasuke was never able to do. But how could he put Sakura's mind to rest when his own was swirling out of control with question upon question concerning their relationship. He didn't even know where to begin.

"We need to leave."

Naruto jumped up. "Right!"

Sasuke also stood up and walked over to Sakura. "You okay to move?"

Sakura smiled up at him. "I'm not about to be the one to hold you two back."

"You don't have to strain yourself to prove anything to us."

Sakura glared at him. "I'm not! I'm just saying I'm fine!"

"Whatever." He held out his hand to help Sakura up, but Naruto pushed him out of the way. He smirked. He'd been expecting as much from Naruto.

"You need me to carry you, Sakura?"

"I'll be fine, Naruto. That fruit really helped to bring back my strength." She looked at him and blushed. "Thank you for that, Sasuke."

He shrugged and looked away. She'd needed the food; he'd given it to her. End of story.

"_HEY!_I'm the one who had to climb up all those trees to get it!"

Sakura smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto went red. "He he he. No problem, Sakura!"

Sakura glared at him. "What are you blushing for, idiot? What about Hinata?"

Naruto froze. "We better get a move on. Hinata-chan will be wondering where I am right about now."

Sakura gaped at him while Sasuke looked on the exchange with mild interest. "You mean you didn't tell Hinata you were leaving to look for me?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Um…I was kinda in a hurry. I was really worried about you, Sakura."

Sakura put her face in her hands and groaned. "That's no excuse, Naruto! You're hopeless! I wouldn't be surprised if she dumps your ass when you get back!"

_Naruto and Hinata are _together_? What the hell!_

From what Sasuke remembered of Hinata, she always fainted when Naruto came near. How did that work out?

Naruto paled. "Oh, gee, I hope not!"

"Damn straight! I don't know of any other girl who could put up with you!"

Sasuke smirked. She had a point there.

"You can talk later. Let's go."

They had to walk at a reasonably slow pace as Sakura still didn't have enough energy to move fast and adamantly refused to be carried by either of them. Naruto walked beside her and had his arm around her waist for support. Sasuke vaguely wished it were him, but dismissed the thought. He'd gotten no where with the thoughts on him and Sakura and had more important things to think about. Like Orochimaru.

Naruto, being Naruto, talked extremely loudly and Sasuke could hear their conversation even though he was walking 5 feet ahead. Because he could only hear Naruto's voice, he ignored it, but something Naruto said sparked his interest.

"So who did you meet in the Sound, Sakura?"

He didn't hear Sakura's answer, but had a general idea of what she said when Naruto replied.

"Omri? That's a weird name! What was he like?"

Anger rose in Sasuke's chest as he recalled how Omri had kissed her. That boy had a death wish.

"Why are you blushing, Sakura?"

"I'm_not _blushing!" Sakura cried.

Which meant she was. It was all Sasuke could do to _not_ turn around and see for himself. But he _was_ still angry. She was blushing over that worthless whelp _again_?

"Ooo, Sakura? Did you like him?"

Sasuke strained to hear her answer and was grateful he had incredibly refined hearing.

"Not like that, Naruto, though I was pretty close."

Sasuke felt like smashing something. She was _pretty close_. What the hell was _that_ supposed to mean? Pretty close. Whatever.

Naruto gasped. "Really? Did you kiss him? Why are you blushing again? You_did _kiss him, didn't you!"

Sasuke growled, but he didn't think they heard. This was the _last_ thing he wanted to hear them talk about, but he couldn't seem to make himself ignore them.

"_He_ kissed _me_, Naruto."

"It's all the same! But you liked it, didn't you?"

Sasuke strained to hear the answer, his heart pounding. This he _did_ want to hear.

But Naruto's question was answered with silence.

"Well, Sakura?"

"I don't know, Naruto!"

"How can you not know? You must know how you felt about it!"

"Well, it wasn't bad I suppose."

Wasn't bad? _Wasn't bad_? That was almost good! Sasuke silently fought with his raging anger and jealousy, trying to keep it from showing. He was _definitely_going to kill Omri the next time he saw him.

"But I didn't really feel anything. It was just…I dunno…just a kiss. It didn't mean anything…at least not to me."

Sasuke released the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. So it didn't mean anything. That was okay. That he could accept without killing Omri (though he'd probably still kill him anyway for kissing her in the first place).

"Well, I guess that's a good thing seeing as you're not with him anymore."

"I guess."

"But team 7 is back together again! Oh man, just wait till I tell Kakashi-sensei!"

Sasuke froze along with his heart.

"What is it, Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't even register Sakura's appearance alongside him nor her hand that lay gently on his arm.

"I can't go back to Konoha."

Sakura's expression fell while Naruto exploded. "Why the hell not? Where else do you have to go?"

"Anywhere. I don't have to be in a particular place."

"So, what? You're just going to live alone for the rest of your life? What's the point of that? You might as well just hand yourself over to Orochimaru now!"

"No!" Sakura's hand gripped his arm tighter and she forced him to look at her, to see the tears in her eyes. "You can't do that. If you do that, I'm going with you."

Sasuke's eyes widened. He didn't want to think of what Orochimaru would do to Sakura to get back at him. "You can't, Sakura." He couldn't go back to Orochimaru anyway. Orochimaru would just keep looking for Sakura until he found her. He'd just been planning to leave her with Naruto. He figured she'd be safe with him.

She looked at him defiantly, despite the tears in her eyes which threatened to fall. "Then you can't leave. Not again."

"So am I just supposed to go back to Konoha? They'll want to kill me, Sakura!" He'd planned on staying with Sakura, but somewhere other than Konoha.

"No they won't! They're not allowed to just kill people! They have to put them on trial first!"

"So they'll put me on trial and then kill me. Just give it up, Sakura. It's hopeless."

She shook her head and fought her tears. "It's only hopeless because you want it to be. We can fight this. I won't let you leave again, Sasuke. I won't."

"Then what _are_ you going to do?"

"We'll figure it out when we get to Konoha."

"Before or after they put me to death?"

"Shut up, Sasuke!" Naruto stood in front of him with a red tint to his eyes. He was getting angry. "Never mind what Sakura thinks, _I_won't let you leave her again. You have no idea what it did to her the last time. You have no idea what torture you put her through! I will _not_let you put her through that again!"

Sasuke looked back to Sakura, who had taken her hand from his arm. He immediately missed the contact. How much more would he miss her if he left them now? Could he stand to be away from her for so long? Could he live with the thought of never seeing her again?

A single tear rolled down her cheek and he knew he couldn't. Whatever she meant to him, it was a lot.

"Fine. I'll come back. I don't care."

Sakura threw her arms around his neck and laughed.

Sasuke just stood there, unsure of how he should react.

Naruto grinned. "That's more like it! Let's go then! Back to Konoha! Believe it!"

He moved towards Sakura, who still had her arms around Sasuke's neck, but she pulled back and shook her head. "Sasuke can walk with me."

Sasuke glared at her while Naruto shrugged and started walking.

Sasuke looked at Sakura, who was looking at him.

"Do…do you need help?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, but I think you better stay with me, just in case I collapse or something."

Sasuke felt the urge to smirk. "Whatever. I don't care."

They started walking and Sakura smiled at him. "Thank you for deciding to come back."

Sasuke shrugged and looked at his feet. "Like Naruto said, where else do I have to go?"

"I know. But really, Sasuke. Thank you." She took his hand in hers.

Sasuke looked at her in surprise, but Sakura just smiled and looked ahead.

Sasuke didn't think to remove his hand as they continued to walk in silence.


	10. Tears for Fears

**A/N: Finally some more Sasuke/ Sakura action! WOOP! This is going to have to last my readers for a while because there won't be some for a while after this chapter (you'll understand when you read it) so I'm sorry about that, but I promise I'll make it up to you all in later chapters! ****  
**

**Ten: Tears for Fears**

Sakura sighed for the fifth time in one minute. Sand was such a boring place. All there was were dunes for miles and miles and miles. The only thing that kept her spirits up somewhat was that Sasuke was coming back to Konoha!

She smiled as she thought of it. Sasuke didn't look at her curiously this time. He'd probably gotten used to her random smiles over the past couple of hours.

Sasuke stopped suddenly.

"What is it?" Naruto asked as he immediately went on alert.

Sasuke shook his head. "Nothing unexpected. Orochimaru's on our trail, but he knows better than to attack with such pitiful forces. Especially now that you're here, Naruto. My guess is that he's trying to rally up support to attack Konoha once we arrive." He turned to Sakura. "Are you sure you want me to come back? Do you really want your village to be attacked like this again?"

Sakura glared at him. There was no way he was getting out of coming back this time. "Orochimaru is just looking for an excuse to attack our village. It would have happened sooner or later. We are still the most powerful village after all. Besides, it'd be a lot safer with you there to help protect it."

Sasuke smirked. "If they trust me enough to help protect it."

Sakura put her hands on her hips. "I don't think they'll really have a choice."

"Whatever." He looked around. "We need to stop for the night."

"Why? If they're after Konoha, shouldn't we try to get back faster to warn them?"

Sasuke shook his head. "You're still recovering, Sakura."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Sakura, we need you to be in full health in case we're attacked randomly. Though we may be here to protect you, you still need to be able to protect yourself." He looked between Sasuke and Sakura. "I don't understand why they're after you, but if they're as desperate as Sasuke says, you have to be able to protect yourself just in case. I mean, you almost died last time. They can occupy us and capture you. We can't let that happen."

Sakura sighed. She hated being such a burden when those two could get back to Konoha in a couple of hours, but they were right. She was still healing. And she hated being so weak. But the sooner she fully recovered, the sooner she wouldn't be a hindrance to them anymore.

"Okay, where do we stop?"

Naruto sniffed the air. "The Land of Fire is not three miles from here. Think you can make it, Sakura?"

Sakura glared at him. "Of course I can!"

Sasuke, who'd been observing their surroundings quietly, shut his eyes.

When he opened them, they were swirling red. "I can transport us just across the border."

"But I thought Orochimaru disabled the air currents."

"He did, but only the major ones."

Naruto exploded. "So you could have transported us across the border this whole time?"

Sasuke calmly shook his head. "No. I've been checking them constantly. This is the first one that's opened up."

Sakura looked up at him. "I don't get it. If he's just going to let us go back to Konoha, why hasn't he opened the air currents for you yet?"

"Time. It slows us down considerably. The sooner we get back the sooner we can warn the village of his plans. This gives him time to gather his forces, so to speak. Besides, he may keep attacking us randomly during the course of our journey to slow us down. He may not, but it is a possibility."

Naruto crossed his arms and pouted. "Whatever. Just transport us already."

Sasuke put his arms around Sakura's waist and abruptly pulled her to him. She shut her eyes against the sensations the contact caused but couldn't help but breathe in his scent. This was the closest she'd been to him since they'd escaped and she didn't want it to end.

"Naruto put your arms around Sakura, quickly. I don't know how long this current is going to remain open."

Naruto quickly put his arms around Sakura from behind and Sakura couldn't help but feel the rightness of the situation at that moment. Team 7. They were always meant to be together, dysfunctional relationships and all.

The next time she opened her eyes they were in the middle of a forest. Naruto let go of her, but Sasuke didn't let go until he'd finished scouting the area with his Sharingan.

Sakura waited until the tingling sensation traveling up and down her spine ceased before she moved.

"Finally no more sand!"

Naruto laughed as he jumped around. "Believe it!"

Sasuke didn't join in the celebration. Sand had probably been his home since he'd left Konoha.

"How long as it been since you've been in the Land of Fire, Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked around. "Two years. I came here briefly during my search for Itachi. I didn't stay too long in case I was recognized."

Sakura could understand his thinking there. Though he definitely looked a lot older, there was no denying it was Sasuke.

"So you killed Itachi after all, eh, Sasuke?" Naruto said.

Sasuke shrugged. "Along with the entire Ataksuki."

Sakura's mouth dropped open as Naruto continued to glare. "The _entire_ Ataksuki?" She questioned, not able to believe it.

"I was wondering what had happened to those guys." Naruto pondered, though he didn't seem surprised.

Sasuke shrugged again. "We need to get some rest. I'll take first watch. Naruto, you take second."

Sakura stalked up to him and put her hands on her hips. "What about me?"

"You need rest. I suggest you take advantage of the opportunity."

"Fine."

_Why does he always have to be right?_

Sakura started fashioning a bed for herself out of foliage as Sasuke lit a fire out of nothing.

"Um…won't it be seen?"

Sasuke looked at her. "You'll get cold. They know where we are anyway."

Naruto bounded back into their makeshift campsite. Sakura hadn't even noticed he'd gone.

"Okay, the coast is clear!"

Sasuke smirked. "I already knew that, dobe. I wouldn't have stopped if it wasn't."

Naruto glared at him. "Why do you have to be such a bastard, Sasuke?"

Sakura answered for him. "Because he's good at it."

Sasuke simply walked towards a tree and sat down against it in reply, looking off into the distance.

_If he wants to ignore everyone, fine! His problem!_

But she couldn't stop the tears that pricked her eyes. Of course once again she'd assumed that things had changed.

**Just because he's coming back doesn't mean things will change. It's Sasuke.**

_But he kissed me!_

**Maybe you shouldn't have let him, knowing that this would happen. He can't just kiss you and then walk away!**

_Yeah, because walking away is what he does best._

She silently settled on her makeshift bed, trying to get comfortable. Naruto lay down beside her. She immediately felt better. Even if Sasuke insisted on being a cold bastard, she still had Naruto. Naruto would always be Naruto, no matter what. His consistency gave her warmth against Sasuke's coldness.

"If I wake up to have to spoon me, you won't be walking straight for weeks!"

Naruto gulped. "Not a problem, Sakura!"

Sakura turned towards him and rested her head on his chest. "Thank you for coming for me, Naruto."

Naruto put his arms around her. "Like I could do anything else, Sakura. I can't imagine the world without you."

Sakura laughed. "Without me there to threaten you, you mean."

"Well…"

"I know what you mean, idiot. The world would be far too boring without you in it and I'd be a much lonelier person for it."

"Speaking of lonely…"

Sakura knew he was thinking of Sasuke.

"How did you stand it, Sakura? After telling yourself you'd never see him again for so long, you saw him. He nearly broke you last time, Sakura. How did you forgive him?"

"Well, at first I was as mean as I could be, letting my anger towards him conceal the pain I felt at the sight of him, but I couldn't keep it up. I broke down one day. It was all too much. I went off at him, but he didn't do a thing to defend himself against my anger. Like he thought he deserved it. All he said was _"I didn't mean to make you cry."_ And he held me."

"No way! Sasuke?"

Sakura nodded against his chest. "Yes, the very same Sasuke. After that I couldn't remain angry at him for more than a few seconds. I knew he couldn't help it. That that way was all he knew."

Naruto remained silent for a few seconds before speaking. "You love him, don't you?"

"I don't think I ever stopped. I don't think I'll ever be able to."

"I always figured it'd be like that if you saw him again."

"Yeah, I could only deny it for so long. So now I'm just accepting it, but it still hurts when he insists on distancing himself, even though I know why."

"And that's why Orochimaru wants you, isn't it? You love him, but you also mean something to him."

"Yes, though I don't know what exactly. But definitely something."

"I could tell, you know. By the little things. The way he spoke when I found you unconscious in his arms and he said he didn't know what was wrong with you. His voice almost broke when he said he thought you might be dying. And when you were unconscious, he refused to leave your side. We had this massive argument about it, because I wanted to stay with you, but in the end he made me get the food. Also in the way he never pushes you away anymore. Back when we were genin, he'd forever stay away from you, distancing himself both emotionally and physically, but now it's different. It's almost like he wants to stay away from you, but he can't. And Orochimaru wants to use that against him."

Sakura's heart pounded in her chest and she was sure Naruto would be able to feel it. Sasuke had done those things? She was about to get up to talk to him, hope renewed, but Naruto, as if sensing her thoughts, stopped her.

"I think he needs some time to adjust to this, Sakura. Going back home can't be easy for him. I'm sure he's already confused enough when it comes to matters concerning you, but to have this suddenly dumped on his shoulders…well…I'm not surprised he's being so distant. Just give him some time, Sakura. Exercise that famous patience of yours."

Sakura playfully nudged Naruto, knowing he was being sarcastic (she had about as much patience as Tsunade…which wasn't much at all), but couldn't help but be amazed at his mature words. Naruto may be a babbling idiot most of the time, but he had his moments and saw through something Sakura couldn't.

"Thank you, Naruto."

"No problem. But get to sleep before I get Sasuke over here with his Sharingan."

"Fine." Sakura shut her eyes and let her mind wander to the boy sitting under the tree 10 meters away from her.

---

Sakura awoke as she felt a sudden chill attack her body. Her training clothes didn't offer much protection from the night's harsh coldness.

She sat up slowly to find Naruto had left.

_It must be time for his night watch shift._

So where was Sasuke?

She looked around and saw him emerge out of a grove of dark trees. He looked troubled. She felt a pang of guilt stab her in the chest. It was because of her he felt like this. She was practically forcing him to come back to Konoha because of her own selfish need for him. What right did she have?

"Sasuke?"

His eyes met hers.

Her throat went dry.

"Why are you awake, Sakura? You need to sleep."

"Oh…um…I woke up when Naruto left. I was cold."

He looked at her for a second then came and sat next to her. Sakura shivered at his closeness. She hoped he didn't think she'd been asking him to come there, even if she was a lot warmer with him there, inside and out.

She remained sitting.

"Sakura, I doubt you'll get any sleep if you're sitting up."

She lay down on her back, Sasuke still sitting up beside her, blocking the cold wind from reaching her. She couldn't sleep. All she could do was stare at his back and try to find the right words.

"And you're not going to get much sleep if you keep staring at my back."

Sakura blushed. _Damnit._

"No…I just…"

"What is it?"

"You don't have to come back if you don't want to."

She didn't have to see his face to know he was smirking. "Why, you don't want me back anymore?"

Sakura sat up again, wanting to see the expression on his face. It was disappointingly emotionless. "You well know I want you to come back, but if you're just going to be like this the whole time, it's not worth it. I don't want to see you like this just because I want you to come back."

Sasuke shook his head as he laughed bleakly. "You don't get it, do you, Sakura?"

"What am I supposed to be getting?"

He looked at her, his intense gaze piercing her. "I couldn't go anywhere else, even if I wanted to."

For a while she struggled to grasp his meaning until Naruto's words came back to her.

_It's almost like he wants to stay away from you, but he can't._

Her eyes widened in realization as Sasuke smirked and looked away.

"I'm sorry." She couldn't think of anything else to say. She just wanted him to know that she hadn't meant for it – whatever _it_ was – to happen.

"It's not your fault. Go to sleep."

"I don't think I can."

Without a word he turned to her, Sharingan activated, and she fell into a deep sleep.

---

Sasuke looked down at Sakura's sleeping form. He was leaning back against a tree and Sakura was lying against his chest, arms wrapped around his torso. Her legs were intertwined with his, causing all sorts of pangs to assault him. Pangs of lust. Pangs of guilt for feeling that way about her. Pangs of desire…pangs of love. How he wished he didn't, but it couldn't be helped now. All he could do was deal with it the best he could. Unfortunately he had no idea how to do that and only ended up making Sakura more miserable. He didn't know what she wanted him to do and didn't dare ask her in case he couldn't deliver. It didn't matter what feelings they harbored for each other, nothing could happen. He didn't do relationships. They just ended up breaking down some way or another.

But part of him couldn't help but imagine what it'd be like. What it'd feel like to be able to openly express what he felt for Sakura instead of seeing her confused expression every time she looked at him. What it'd feel like to be able to hold her hand or hold her without having to pull away too soon in fear of what might happen if he continued the contact.

And most of all, their kiss haunted him. He could still feel the way she'd felt under him…how soft her lips were…how she'd tasted. He wanted to feel it again. It was only a matter of time before his resolved broke. It would definitely happen if he remained around her, but he couldn't leave. She'd only follow him anyway. And she'd cry. He didn't want to make her cry yet again.

And he just couldn't leave her now. Maybe he'd consider it again once he knew she was safe. He'd hunt after Orochimaru himself but they would have moved by now and he needed more help. He didn't know if there was anyone else who was able to kill Orochimaru, but there'd be an entire village-worth of Sound nin between them and he needed help with that.

Sakura started to arouse as the sun came up over the trees. Naruto came into view. They met eyes. He expected Naruto to say something inane about the position he was in, but he simply turned away and put sand of the smoldering fire.

"Wake Sakura. We need to go."

---

Sakura blinked as she felt the sun's warm rays on her face. But that wasn't the only reason she was warm.

Her arms were around Sasuke's waist, her head on his chest, her legs intertwined with his.

_Oh crap!_

How the hell had this happened? She remembered talking to him then he'd used his Sharingan to make her sleep.

_I did this in my sleep? How embarrassing!_

But it did feel _really_ good.

"Sakura."

"Y-yes, Sasuke?"

"Get off."

_Oh_crap

She jumped off him and smiled while trying to straighten her appearance. "Oh, uh, good morning!"

Sasuke gave her an amused look as he stood up. She quickly stood up behind him as Naruto ran over to her.

"Sakura! Are you feeling alright?"

"Um…yes. Why wouldn't I be?"

Naruto glared at Sasuke's back. "No reason."

Sasuke stopped walking and turned to glare at them. "Are we going?"

"Well, I don't know about you, bastard, but I'm starving! We haven't eaten for hours!"

"So?"

"Sakura needs her strength! She has to eat!"

Sakura's temper flared. She hated it how they talked about her as though she was a baby, incapable of taking care of herself. Incapable of knowing her own limits. _She_ was the medic! She knew a lot more than either of them!

"Don't talk about me as though I'm not here, Naruto! I'm _fine_! If Sasuke doesn't need to eat, neither do I!"

"We're eating." Sasuke said as he walked back to the former fire and sat down a couple of feet away from it. "Naruto, go find food."

"What! Why do I always have to get the food?" Naruto complained loudly.

Sasuke looked at him coolly. "It was your idea to get it in the first place, dobe. You're obviously the one who wants it the most. Besides, you have a better nose."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Fine. I'll go get the stinking food."

Sakura glared at Sasuke. "Naruto! Wait up!" She didn't want to be around Sasuke. If she did she'd just end up forgiving him again. She wanted to be angry at him for once.

She chased after Naruto, but a stray branch he'd moved out of his way doubled back and smacked her clear in the nose, causing her to cry out in pain and fall down on her ass.

"_OW_! Naruto, I'm going to kick that sorry ass of yours when -"

Sakura paused as she saw something suspicious out of the corner of her eye. Unless she was wrong (which she definitely wasn't), the corners of Sasuke's mouth lifted into what seemed to be a smile.

_No way! Sasuke doesn't _smile

Forgetting the pain in her nose, Sakura leapt up and stood in front of Sasuke, who'd surreptitiously turned his head.

"I can't believe it!"

Sasuke looked back at her, carefully expressionless. "What?"

Sakura went on her knees to get a closer look at his face. "You _smiled_!"

He looked at her as though she was mentally retarded. "What are you talking about?"

Sakura beamed at him. "You smiled! Just then! I _know_ you did!"

"So?"

She gasped. "I _knew_ it! Do it again!"

"Do what again?"

Sakura leaned forward onto her hands. "Smile."

Sasuke leaned back slightly and looked away. "No. Stop being annoying."

Sakura pouted as she made him look at her. "I'll stop being annoying when you smile again." She would have thought such an expression would look completely out of place on Sasuke's always-somber face, but he'd looked breathtakingly handsome the second she'd seen it. And she refused to give up until she saw it again. She'd learned that persistence often won out with Sasuke.

"Why would I smile now?"

"You did before!"

"I had a reason to before."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Oh, because I hit my head on a branch."

Sasuke smirked. "Yes."

"Whatever. I'm still going to get you to smile again." At least he'd admitted he had smiled.

"Shut up, Sakura." He said as he turned his head to the side again.

Sakura made him look at her again. "Not until you smile again." She put her index fingers on both corners of his mouth and tried to coax them into a smile. She knew she was being dumb, but she was hoping that he'd get so annoyed that he'd just give up and smile again.

He pushed her hands away and glared at her. "Go away, Sakura."

She smiled sweetly as she tried again. "No."

He pushed her hands away again. "Stop it. I'm warning you."

"No." She persistently resumed her position but was completely unprepared for his next reaction.

He growled, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her to him, kissing her hardly.

This hadn't been what she was asking for, but it was _so_ much better.

She surrendered herself to the feelings overtaking her body and pulled him closer.

His hands moved down her back as his tongue ran over her bottom lip. She gasped at the feeling of it. He took hold of the opportunity and ran his tongue against hers.

Sakura swore she almost fainted. How had he learned to kiss like this? But knowing Sasuke, it probably just came naturally for him.

While he was working wonders with his tongue, she pushed his open shirt aside and ran her hands down those taunt muscles of his, like she'd longed to do ever since she first saw them. He groaned into her mouth and in one fluid motion had her on her back while he settled his weight on her. She couldn't help but moan as he did.

His kisses moved down to her neck as he mercilessly licked, bit, and sucked all the way down to her collarbone where her shirt halted his trail. He frowned at it and moved his hand up her stomach underneath her shirt, taking it with him.

"Sasuke…"

She didn't know why she wanted to stop him, but she did.

Sasuke looked up at her. "Mmm?" He said as he kissed her exposed stomach.

She hissed and gritted her teeth. Damn him and his sexual prowess. "Kiss me."

He moved his head up and kissed the base of her neck causing a shiver to run down her spine. "I thought I was."

She moved her hand through his hair as she tried to regain some semblance of control. "No, kiss _me_."

His eyes bore into her own as he moved up her body once again, bracing himself with his forearm so he wouldn't crush her. "Okay."

His lips hovered centimeters from hers as his hand ran up the outside of her thigh. Sakura's sharply inhaled and shut her eyes as he lifted the same leg to circle his and rested the said leg in between hers.

"_Kami_…" Sakura whispered before he finally closed the gap between their lips and kissed her with all the pent-up passion and longing and desire he'd tried to suppress so hard.

Their first kiss had been sweet and perfect…this one was strong and fierce, like he hadn't drunk in weeks and she was his water. And it made her tingle all over and in all the places she didn't want to.

She moved her hands over his muscular back as she tried to pull him closer. She felt his back muscles move as he moved his hand down her thigh again.

If this didn't stop soon she didn't think she'd be able to pull away. But she didn't want to pull away now either. She just wanted to continue surrendering herself to the intense sensations wracking her body. She'd been kissed before, but _never_ like this!

"I found some food!"

They immediately jumped apart as Naruto loudly clamored into their makeshift campsite. She wiped her hand across her mouth and flattened her hair which had gotten all messed up. Her lips were swollen and her heart was still pounding ferociously. Once glance at Sasuke showed he was in the same boat. His eyes met hers, still hungry, and she quickly turned away, blushing. If she kept looking at him when he was looking at her like _that,_ she might not be able to keep herself from jumping on him and doing something she'd regret later.

Sakura tried to slow down her breathing as she looked at Naruto. He was looking at the two of them in suspicion but didn't say anything. He'd no doubt ask her about it later.

_Crap! What am I supposed to say? "Oh, Naruto, Sasuke and I were just full-on making out! Completely normal!" _

Because it wasn't normal and she had no idea what to think.

---

Naruto frowned as he looked at Sasuke and Sakura. They were acting weird. Well, weirder than they were before anyway. Sakura would glance at Sasuke then Sasuke would look back at her and smirk, making her blush and turn away until the whole process happened all over again a few minutes later.

Naruto scratched his head and as he tried to figure it out, almost causing him to fall out of the tree he'd landed on.

He thought about the way they'd looked when he'd come back from getting food. They looked like they'd just been caught doing something bad. What was up with that? If he had to guess, he'd say they'd looked like they'd just been making out or something like that coz that's what Hinata-chan looked like after he kissed her. But Sakura and Sasuke-bastard kissing? That was just weird! Sasuke was like his best friend and worst enemy and brother at the same time and Sakura was like his other best friend and sister. So the thought of them doing that was…just weird! He knew Sasuke cared about Sakura, like he'd said to Sakura the night before, but he'd assumed it was in the same way Naruto cared about Sakura…not like_that_!

"Sakura!"

Sakura slowed down so he could catch up with her. Sasuke just kept jumping from limb to limb like normal.

"Yes, Naruto?"

She looked nervous.

_What the hell is she nervous about?_

"You know how I went to get food before."

"Yes…" she swallowed heavily.

"Well, why were you and Sasuke-bastard acting so weird when I got back? And why were you sitting so close? And why was your face so red? And why were your lips all puffy? And why were you breathing so heavily? And why are you blushing now?"

Sakura looked away. "Well…um…it's kind of hard to explain…"

"Come on, Sakura! We tell each other everything! What's so different about this?"

"Because it's Sasuke, Naruto. Everything's always different when it comes to him."

Naruto growled. "I know. Stupid bastard."

"I'm just scared of how you'll react."

Naruto froze. "You kissed, didn't you? I knew it!" His gaze went red as Sasuke stopped at looked back at them.

Sasuke looked at Sakura. "What's up with him?"

Sakura blushed and shrugged. "I don't know."

Naruto shut his eyes and forced his anger down. He didn't know why the thought of Sasuke touching his Sakura made him so angry, but it did. He'd never understood how Sakura could love him, but it was always unrequited so he didn't really have to worry about it, but now it seemed as though it wasn't as unrequited as he'd first thought.

Sasuke jumped to the tree they were standing in and ignored Naruto's intense death-glare. "There's a village about 1 mile away. We can stop for food and supplied if you want. We'll get to Konoha by tomorrow afternoon."

Sakura just shrugged, as if they hadn't been all over each other while he'd gone to get food. There was no way he was leaving those two alone again. Kami knows what could happen!

Naruto pouted angrily and continued to glare at Sasuke. "Fine. As long as Sakura gets the food."

"What if Orochimaru has people waiting in there for her, Naruto?"

Sakura joined Naruto in glaring at Sasuke. "I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, Sasuke! I'm not 12 anymore!"

Sasuke looked at her calmly as Naruto continued to glare at him. "Against three jounin maybe, but you sure didn't seem to be able to protect yourself when you were fighting 10."

Sakura looked away. "I was a little distracted, that was all."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Distracted by what?"

"Well, in case you didn't notice the only friend I made in Sound had just left and-"

Sasuke stuffed his hands in his pockets and fisted his hands. "So you were distracted by _Omri_?

Sakura narrowed her eyes as well. "Is that a problem?"

Sasuke clenched his jaw and looked away. "Whatever. I don't care."

But it was obvious he did and Naruto didn't like it one bit.

"Sakura is perfectly able to get the food, Sasuke. You don't know what she's capable of! _You_ weren't there to see her get stronger!"

Tears filled Sakura's eyes. "I'm leaving. You guys stay here. I'll be back in two hours." She leaped down to the ground and started walking. Naruto quickly jumped off too and landed in front of her.

"You need money." He gave her some and she stuffed it in her bra.

"No pockets." She said before she walked past him and started running. Naruto watched her disappear before turning to Sasuke who still stood in the tree.

"I want to talk to you, Sasuke!" He said as he pointed an accusing finger up at him.

"I can't imagine it's anything I want to hear." Sasuke replied as he landed on the ground and couple of feet away from Naruto and leaned back against the tree.

"Well, too bad! You're going to hear it anyway!" He stalked up to Sasuke until he was about a foot away.

"What's going on with you and Sakura?"

Sasuke looked away and folded his arms. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? How can you not know! You've already kissed her once!"

"Twice."

"_Twice!_ Are you serious! And you don't know what's going on! You're more stupid than I thought, bastard!"

Sasuke looked at him sharply, his Sharingan swirling. "Stay out of it, Naruto."

"Stay out of it? How can I stay out of it? Sakura…" Naruto shook his head. "How can I stay out of it after what you put Sakura through last time?"

"Whatever I did to her, I didn't mean it."

"Yes, but you did it anyway! And you're just going to do it again! I know you, Sasuke! You know it! How can you toy with her like this when you know what's going to happen? Can you really be that cold?"

Before Naruto could blink, Sasuke had him against the tree, hand around his throat, Sharingan swirling. "Don't talk to me about that, Naruto. You don't know what you're talking about. You may be the one who stayed with her all these years, but I love her. I love her in a way you never could." He let go of Naruto and stepped back. "And don't pass Sakura off as a brain-dead child in this either. She knows what she's doing. She probably knows more than you do. She of all people knows what I'm like, if I hurt her as much as you say. And yet she's not pulling away. And I've _tried_. You have no idea how hard."

Naruto sneered at him. "But not hard enough, eh, bastard?"

Sasuke smirked. "Could you, Naruto? Could you leave?"

Naruto looked away from Sasuke's red eyes. The answer to that one was obvious. No way. But he wasn't the one who always made Sakura cry.

"I'm not the one who hurt her."

"What about that time you went away for 3 years?"

Naruto froze. How did Sasuke know about that?

"You think that hurt any less? Just because she was in love with me doesn't mean it hurt any less when you left. You know, don't you? Even though she told you to go, she was breaking inside. You knew that, but you left anyway. In the end we're just the same, Naruto. We're both slaves to our goals. Well I've completed mine. I've no where else to go. I don't want to leave Sakura and she doesn't want to leave me. Why do you have such a problem with that, Naruto?"

Naruto spoke past the pain bursting in his chest. "Because though you're not going to leave, you're still not going to be _with_ her. That's what she wants. That's all she's ever wanted from you. And though for now you may be able to get away with kissing her a few times, that's not going to be enough to satisfy her for long. And when she starts wanting more, you're going to freak and walk away coz you don't know what else to do." Naruto stepped right up to Sasuke and glared at him. "Well, I'm telling you, Sasuke, I won't let you do that to her again. I'll leave it alone for now, let you figure it out on your own, but you better decide quickly, bastard. You hurt her again, I swear…" Naruto shut his eyes against the rage that threatened to consume him. "You need to stop treating her like her feelings don't matter. She's not some toy to be thrown around from emotion to emotion."

"Don't you think I know that?"

"Then stop acting like you don't.

---

Sakura wandered aimlessly through the forest, a bundle of food under her arm. At least she wouldn't starve if she got lost. At this point she didn't much care. Actually, getting lost sounded like a good option right about now. If she got lost she wouldn't have to face all the crap waiting for her back with Naruto and Sasuke.

Now that Naruto knew what was happening between her and Sasuke he'd probably try and butt in. She couldn't really fault him for it. He would just be trying to protect her against getting hurt by Sasuke yet again. But she knew what she was doing, didn't she?

She knew what Sasuke was capable of doing to her heart, but she couldn't seem to stop herself from beginning to hope again. Hope that this time things would be different.

But things wouldn't change just coz Sasuke decided she meant something to him. Sasuke walked away from things that meant something to him. Even if he came back to Konoha for now, he'd leave as soon as he killed Orochimaru. He needed support to kill Orochimaru. He needed Konoha as much as Konoha needed him, but once it was over he'd just leave again. She knew he would. It was inevitable. Hope was futile.

Sakura dropped to her knees by a stream and wept out of sheer hopelessness and frustration. What was she doing? Why did she trust him again? Was she really that stupid?

_I need to stop this._

It was just that now it had _happened_ it was so hard to let go. Sasuke had finally returned her feelings. Her love wasn't so unrequited anymore. But it didn't matter. He'd leave, whether he loved her or not.

Sakura dried her eyes and washed her face with the chilled water.

_That's it. I'm done crying over him. _

She was going to be strong and love him from a distance. She was acting like she was 12…like he hadn't left her and never returned even after he killed Itachi.

**Can you? Can you really? Were you ever able to stay away from Sasuke?**

She didn't know, but she would try hard. She would try damn hard.

"Sakura!"

Sakura turned to see Naruto and Sasuke leap out of the surrounding trees.

She put on a smile. "Oh, hi guys!"

Naruto ran up to her as Sasuke hovered behind. "Are you okay, Sakura? We thought something had happened to you!"

"It hasn't even bee two hours yet, has it?"

"It's been over three." Sasuke said from a few feet away, hands in pockets, his open shirt billowing in the breeze.

_Damn, why does he have to be so hot!_

Staying away from him was going to be _so_ hard if he kept looking like that.

Sakura blushed and looked back at Naruto. "I'm really sorry. I just found this spring and…I must have lost track of the time."

Naruto peered at her. He knew she never lost track of time. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Sakura gently pushed Naruto away. "I'm fine! I have the food."

Sasuke looked at her. "We'll eat later. We've already lost too much time searching for you."

Sakura threw the parcel to Naruto. "Then let's go, shall we?"

---

Sasuke frowned at Sakura's retreating back. Something about her was different. Hard. That look in her eyes. It was how she'd looked at him when he first kidnapped her.

_If that how she wants to play it._

He'd done some thinking after his little chat with Naruto. He knew Naruto was right. He couldn't just keep treating Sakura like that. He had to decide. He had been going to ask Sakura what she wanted him to do and whatever it was, he would have tried. He would have tried because he loved her, but it seemed as though he'd already gotten his answer. She was doing the smart thing.

So why did it hurt so much?

Sasuke forced his mind off Sakura and onto his possible impending doom. There was no telling how Konoha would react to him. A mixture of fear and anger probably. Whatever. So long as they didn't kill him before he killed Orochimaru. Though he may not feel the all-consuming desire to kill him like he had with Itachi, he still _really_wanted to. And there was no doubt Orochimaru would attack Konoha. That snake had wanted to eliminate that village for as long as Sasuke had known him. If Konoha was going to withstand another attack of such proportions, they needed his help. He knew the weaknesses and strengths of the Sound and Orochimaru more than anyone besides Orochimaru himself. Sasuke was probably the only person alive who could take down Orochimaru. And damn, he wanted to get that pain-in-the-ass snake out of his way for good. He didn't know how strong Naruto had become, but he must be really powerful if his genin days were anything to go by. He sure would like to fight him someday, but not now.

The peace between the villages was fragile enough as is. Ever since that day 6 years ago when Orochimaru had attacked, things had been off balance. New laws were in place. Ninja couldn't just roam freely from country to country anymore. An unaccounted, foreign ninja could be apprehended and placed under that country's law. It made missions twice as troublesome and made stealth impossible so many ninja broke laws and carried out missions in other countries without those countries knowing. Each country knew it was going on, but could hardly stop it without causing all-out war. So they settled with mini ninja-battles. If a foreign ninja was found without papers, they were fought. Sometimes they were killed, sometimes they were apprehended, and sometimes they escaped. Countless ninja from all countries went missing. It was an unofficial war. No doubt Orochimaru wanted to use this to his advantage. He had a way with words. And everyone besides Sasuke (and possibly Naruto and Sakura) was terrified of him. It was either with him or against him. And because the Land of Fire was the most powerful, other countries wanted to take it down. Remove the potential threat.

And his cover would be permanently broken. He'd remained anonymous because he knew people would be after him. While the fighting may have presented a challenge, he knew Naruto would come. He didn't have to wonder. He knew. And he never liked the affect Naruto had on him. He could feel it beginning even now, when he'd taken Sakura's feelings into consideration for the first time. He'd never expected to see Sakura and Naruto again. He'd never wanted to because he knew it would change everything. It already had.


	11. We're Home, So Where's Your Heart?

**A/N: I'm sorry, but Sasuke is pretty much a complete bastard for the next few chapters (hence the title of this chapter), but never fear, there is luminous light at the end of the long, dark tunnel (okay, so maybe that's a bit dramatic), but yeah, it won't last forever so just bear with me and try not to hate Sasuke too much! **

**Eleven: We're Home, So Where's Your Heart?**

Sasuke could feel the churning in his stomach. They were mere minutes away from Konoha. Minutes after six years of staying away.

_What am I doing?_

It wasn't like Sakura wanted him anyway. So why was he still going through with this? Naruto was more than enough protection for her. So why couldn't he leave? It was like his feet just wanted to turn around and walk the other way, but as soon as he looked at Sakura he couldn't.

_I should never have agreed to bring her to Orochimaru in the first place._

But it was too late now. His heart was gone and his common sense with it. His own lust for power had brought his downfall.

Sakura landed on the ground 50 meters from the village gates and smiled as the sun hit her hair through the trees.

He smirked. _But what a downfall._

Naruto grinned at him as they approached the gates. "You ready for this, bastard?"

Sasuke shoved his hands deep in his pockets. _Like hell. _"Shut up, dobe."

Sakura couldn't stop smiling. She suited this place. It was warm…like her.

"Naruto!"

Sasuke saw the outline of a feminine figure by the gates.

He thought Naruto's eyes would fall out of his head. "Hinata-chan?"

Sasuke looked again at the figure running towards them.

_That's Hinata?_

Her figure was womanly, her hair long, swirling around her face and shoulders in the wind. She smiled a smile that was only for Naruto as he gathered her into his arms.

Pained stabbed Sasuke chest as he looked at Sakura. If only…

But there was no point wishing for something that would never be.

Sakura eyes met his and she immediately turned away. Sasuke smirked and returned his attention to Naruto and Hinata.

He kissed her and hugged her again. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you I was leaving! I was so worried about Sakura!"

Hinata smiled and him then at Sakura, who smiled back and waved sheepishly. "That's okay, Naruto. I understand. Just _please_ remember to tell me next time! When the Hokage told me you had probably gone off looking for Sound I thought I'd have a heart attack! I was so worried! I waited by the gates every day!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth as the memory of Sakura chasing after him entered his mind. By the look on Hinata's face, she would have waited for Naruto at those gates for the rest of her life if she had to. There had been a time when Sakura would have done the same. Would she now? Or would she just give up and figure he wasn't coming back?

"I'm glad you found her, Naruto!" Hinata drew out of Naruto's arms and hugged Sakura tightly. "I'm so happy you're back! Konoha isn't the same without you!"

She talked about Sakura's absence as though she'd been on a vacation, not kidnapped and taken to Sound.

Tears had formed in Sakura's eyes. "You have no idea how good it is to be back."

Hinata pulled back and finally turned to Sasuke. He stood motionless, not knowing how she'd react to the sight of him. He'd never really known Hinata, but apparently she'd become a lot closer to Naruto and Sakura in his absence. Especially Naruto.

Hinata smiled, though it wasn't as genuine as her former ones. "I suppose you must be the reason for Sakura's absence."

She had changed. She used to stutter incessantly before she could get a word out and constantly held her hands in front of her face. But now she stood with an erect posture, her hands casually by her sides. And before she certainly wouldn't have talked to him.

"I am."

"In any case, welcome back to Konoha." She inclined her head slightly in respect much to Sasuke's surprise. She'd definitely grown to be a regal lady.

He inclined his head in return, acknowledging her respect. Things were always as such between prestigious clans, but he thought that that would have diminished in his absence.

Naruto grinned and put his arm around Hinata's waist. "Aw, come on, Hinata-chan! You don't have to respect Sasuke! You should be respecting me! I'm the one who dragged his sorry ass back here!"

Hinata turned to him and playfully tapped him on the nose.

"_HEY_!"

Hinata giggled. "Watch your language, Naruto!"

Sasuke smirked. "I _chose_to come back, dobe. You couldn't have made me if you brought the whole village with you."

_Sakura was enough at any rate._

Hinata giggled. "Don't look at him like that, Naruto! I'll always admire you."

Naruto pouted. "Yeah, that's all I need! Now what are we waiting for? I want some ramen!"

Sasuke felt the urge to roll his eyes as he walked behind Hinata and Naruto.

He felt rather than saw Sakura come next to him. She looked up at him with those beseeching eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Sasuke. Everything will be fine. They won't kill you. I'll make sure of it."

Sasuke looked down at her. "I'm not worried about being killed, Sakura." They could try but he doubted they'd succeed. And he wasn't worried about his reception. He always knew that'd suck. Like he cared. Actually, he didn't quite know what he was so nervous about.

When Naruto approached the guards at the gates they smiled at him and Hinata. "So he finally came back?"

Hinata smiled. "Yes, he did. He always does."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and forced himself to look away from the pain on Sakura's face. The last time she'd seen him before he'd left was when she'd professed her undying love for him and he'd thanked her, knocked her out and left. End of story. Or so he'd thought.

The guards did a double take as Sasuke walked past. He could hear their whispers.

"_Was that Uchiha?"_

"_No way! It couldn't be! I heard he was long dead! Disappeared six years ago!"_

"_It was him, no doubt about it! You can never mistake an Uchiha and the only other one of those around was Itachi. That definitely wasn't him."_

"_What should we do?"_

"_Notify the Hokage. Quick!"_

Sasuke smiled wryly. So it had begun.

As they walked down the street heads turned and people froze. Everyone started to whisper about everything that had ever had anything to do with him. Rumors flew, both true and untrue. And Sasuke heard them all.

_Whatever._

Sakura walked close to him and grabbed his hand. She was trembling. He couldn't bring himself to let it go.

Instead he drew his thumb over the back of her hand and whispered, "Everything will be fine, Sakura."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

---

Sakura gripped Sasuke's hand tighter as 50 ANBU approached them, grateful he wasn't letting go. She didn't know why she was so scared. She knew this would happen. She'd prepared herself…sort of. It didn't matter what they did to him now. He'd live. He had to. Konoha needed him for what was coming next. She'd have to make the council believe that. Sasuke wanted to kill Orochimaru as much as they did. He was probably the only one who could do it.

The ANBU guards halted and Sasuke let go of her hand.

"They can't know, Sakura. You'll be trialed for treason. Just act like you hate me. It shouldn't be too hard."

Sakura dropped her head as tears formed in her eyes.

_So much for not crying over him anymore._

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Yes."

"You are in violation of Code 121, 227, and 394, amongst others. We will apprehend you peacefully or we will be forced to take action."

Sasuke smirked. Sakura well knew he could take them down without a problem. But that wouldn't exactly make them want to trust him.

"Whatever. I don't care."

The guards immediately pounced, slapping on the chakra hand-cuffs. They weren't taking any chances.

Sasuke cast one last look at Sakura before they led him away. Sakura's chest felt like it was going to explode. Once again he was being taken away from her and she was powerless to stop him.

She shut her eyes, fighting down the rapidly rising panic.

_It's only temporary this time. Only temporary._

The head ANBU guard turned to them. "Haruno Sakura and Uzamaki Naruto, report to the Hokage immediately."

A few seconds later they were in the Hokage's office. Tsunade quickly stood up and embraced Sakura.

"Thank Kami you're alright! I was so worried!"

Sakura smiled back. "I can take care of myself, Tsunade-sama. I learned from the best, after all."

Tsunade straightened up and smiled. "So you did." She turned to Naruto and scowled. "And what were _you_thinking, fox? First you leave without saying a word to _anyone_ to go gallivanting all over on a wild goose chase and _then_you bring back a missing S-class nin, none other that _Sasuke Uchiha_!"

Naruto cringed. "Well, um, you see…"

Tsunade waved her hand dismissively. "Not now. We have more important matters to discuss." She sat down and looked back up at Sakura. "Now, Sakura. Tell me everything."

Sakura told her the important bits, leaving out anything to do with Sasuke or Omri. Just the important information about what Sasuke suspected to be Orochimaru's plans. Tsunade glowered as she got to that bit.

"What_Sasuke_ thinks? Sakura, how could you be so stupid? You could have just brought an enemy ninja, a very _dangerous_enemy ninja into our village! What if he's working for Orochimaru? Have you ever thought about _that_possibility?"

Sakura shook her head. "Many times over, believe me. When Sasuke first captured me I treated him like dog crap on the bottom of my shoe. But I soon realized things had change. The balance of power had shifted. Sasuke was in charge. Orochimaru is powerless against him."

"Then why did you leave? Why did he leave if everything was going so well?"

Sakura blushed. "Um…well…you see, the Sound's power chain is based on weakness and strength. The leader must be the most powerful ninja there. Until two years ago, that was Orochimaru. But Sasuke's power surpassed that of Orochimaru and if Orochimaru wanted to live, he had to do what Sasuke said."

Tsunade leaned back on her chair. "That explains how powerful Sasuke is, but not why he left."

"Well, you see, the leader must also have no weaknesses _whatsoever_. Part of the reason Orochimaru was powerless against Sasuke was because Sasuke didn't have any weaknesses. But he was secretly working on that, you see. Orochimaru had heard of my healing abilities and remembered that I was one of Sasuke's former team mates. He hoped that by bringing me to Sound under the pretense of repairing his arms that Sasuke would begin to care for me, hence forming a weakness he could use against Sasuke."

Tsunade frowned. "But if you _had_healed Orochimaru's arms, wouldn't that have made him more powerful than Sasuke?"

Sakura shook her head again. "I asked someone about that one day, but this ninja, who was there to see the whole thing, told me that it didn't matter if Orochimaru had use of his arms. Sasuke would still be more powerful. Sasuke just wanted to learn more jutsus. But I came and sort of stuffed everything up for him."

Tsunade looked to the side thoughtfully. "So Orochimaru's planned worked. Sasuke started to care for you."

Sakura nodded. "Yes. We left because Orochimaru was gathering his forces to move against us and capture me, so Sasuke said we had to escape because as powerful as he is, he couldn't defeat a whole village-full of ninja's single-handedly."

"Well, I suppose that's good to know."

Sakura slammed her hands on Tsunade's desk emphatically. "You don't understand! Orochimaru could be moving against us right now! He wants Konoha destroyed! You know that! He always has! We _need_Sasuke! He could very well be the only one who can take down Orochimaru once and for all!"

Naruto muttered in the background "I reckon I could give him a run for his money."

Sakura ignored him and focused all her attention on Tsunade. "You have to trust him!"

Tsunade shook her head. "It's not just a matter of whether _I_believe him, Sakura. The whole village must believe him. Sure, ultimately they have to do what I say, but when it comes down you it, we can't fight united under someone no one fully trusts."

"He doesn't have to _lead_the fight; he just has to get to Orochimaru! That's why he came back to Konoha! He needs you as much as you need him! If the Leaf village ninja take down Orochimaru's forces, that gives Sasuke an opening to him. Once it's over you can put him on trial! He's fully prepared for that! But you _have _to let him fight!"

"Sakura, you're getting ahead of yourself! We don't even know for sure that there _is _going to be a fight!"

Sakura settled down. Tsunade was right. It was just a theory, however likely it seemed. "Okay. Fine. Then put the village on alert and send scouts out. They can't hide themselves anymore because that was Sasuke's job and their forces will be bigger if they've registered the help of other villages. More noticeable. The Sound will be on full alert, but Sasuke knows the Sound better than anyone. He's trained with them for years. He can tell the scouts what to look out for and how to protect themselves against it."

"But how do we know he won't tell them the opposite and get them killed?"

"You don't. But do you really have a choice?

---

Sasuke sat on the hard prison bed in silence, the chakra cuffs still draining his energy. They were strong but he figured he could still get out if he really wanted to. The temptation was almost too much to ignore, but what was the point?

He stood up as he felt someone's chakra approaching. A swirl of sakura petals followed immediately.

Sakura appeared.

She looked at him and smiled. "Good news."

Sasuke leaned back against the wall uncaringly. "They're not going to kill me."

"Well, not yet anyway."

_Oh joy. And she wondered why I never wanted to come back._

"Whatever. I don't care."

She glared at him. "No, of course you don't. You know, you could consider using a different line. I think that one is _way_past its expiry date."

"Whatever. I-"

"Don't care? Yes, I figured."

"What are you doing here, Sakura?"

"Keeping you company! I thought you might be lonely."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. She was making fun of him. "I think I'd rather be killed."

Much to his surprise, Sakura laughed. "Did you just make a joke? Wow, Sasuke, your social skills are really developing!"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, next time I just won't mean it."

She narrowed her green orbs. "Shut up."

"You came here. Feel free to leave at any time."

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped when Naruto suddenly appeared.

He looked at Sasuke then looked at Sakura. "What are you doing here?" he yelled as he pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke.

"I'm in prison, dobe."

"Oh right." He looked at Sakura. "So what are _you_ doing here, hm?"

Sasuke knew what he was implying and his irritation rose. That instance in the forest was the_last_ thing he needed to be reminded of. He's successfully avoided thinking of it so far because he didn't know what would happen if he did.

"She's annoying me."

Sakura blushed. He knew she was thinking about what had happened. Great, now he was thinking of it. The way she felt under him. The way she'd tasted. How soft her skin was. How she'd moaned…

_Oh Kami, stop!_

But it was too late. He shut his eyes and all the images and feelings hit him with full force and he felt his desire grow.

_Damnit! Why now?_

Especially with Naruto here.

"What are _you_doing here, Naruto? And keep your damn voice down! We're not supposed to be in here."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. They weren't? He wondered what the punishment would be if they were caught. He wondered if they even cared. Probably not.

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "I wanted to give this bastard a piece of my mind! The old woman Hokage is blaming _me_ for all of this! Like it's my fault that bastard took you!"

Sasuke scowled. "I have a solution. How about you both leave?"

Sakura and Naruto glared at him in unison.

_Whatever._

It wasn't his ass that was on the line if they were caught here. He went to lie on the hard prison bed and try not to think about Sakura with her clothes off.

"So what _are_you doing here, Sakura?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"I was just going to tell him what Tsunade-sama is expecting from him so he'd be prepared and not act like a total ass like he does most of the time."

"You were _helping_him."

"What, do you _want_ him to be killed before he can kill Orochimaru?"

Oh, so now he was just their killing machine. Perfect.

"I could kill Orochimaru!"

Sakura laughed. "Yeah, maybe. But it would be a risk. With Sasuke it's a definite."

Sasuke groaned and shut his eyes. Couldn't they carry on this annoying conversation elsewhere? They were acting like he wasn't there anyway.

"How do we know it's a definite with Sasuke anyway?"

"Because, idiot, he overcame the curse mark _and_ he killed Itachi and the _entire_Ataksuki! Orochimaru was _afraid _of Itachi!"

He didn't need to look at Naruto to know he was probably pouting. It was disturbing to know that he knew them so well even after all this time. Maybe he hadn't severed those bonds as well as he'd first thought.

_If it were even possible in the first place._

"Whatever! I'm leaving! See you later, bastard."

Naruto disappeared and he could feel Sakura approach the chakra-infused bars of the prison cell.

"Sasuke?"

Great, she was going to try and talk to him. He hated it when she did this. Why couldn't she just leave him alone and let things return to the way they were before? Everything was easier then. He was able to leave then.

"Sasuke, answer me!"

And he definitely liked it better when she hadn't questioned him.

He stood up and walked over to the bars, crossing his arms impatiently. "What could I possibly want to say to you, Sakura?"

Sakura put her hands on her hips. "Oh, gee, I don't know! What could you _possibly_want to say to me after kissing me _twice_? And one time being…well…a bit hard to ignore!"

Sasuke refused to care. "Who cares? It's not like it _meant_ anything."

Sakura inhaled sharply. "So, what? I was just some sexual escape because your libido was getting a little hard to handle!"

Well, the fact that he hadn't really been with anyone in a _long_time surely hadn't helped. "That's one way of putting it."

She bit her lip and turned her head to the side. "Okay, fine. Whatever."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her indifferent tone.

"Just answer me one question. Just _one_."

"If it makes you go away."

She turned back to him, malice in her eyes. "Why didn't you come back after killing Itachi?"

Sasuke observed her coolly. "There was hardly any reason to."

"Oh, so Naruto, Kakashi-sensei and I weren't reason enough?"

He paused for a few seconds. "No."

Sakura swallowed heavily. "What about the bonds we shared?"

"I thought you said you only had one question."

Sakura just glared at him.

_She's not going to go away, is she? How annoying._

"Those bonds were shattered the second I walked out of those gates. You can't get them back,

Sakura. Just give it up."

"Then what about all this crap with Orochimaru, hm? What am I supposed to think about _that_?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Details. Once he's dead I won't have to worry about it anymore."

"So you're just going to leave."

"Yes." He had to. No matter how hard it was.

Tears entered Sakura's eyes before she blinked them back. "So why did you come back in the first place if you planned on leaving all along?"

She didn't need to know there was a time when he'd considered staying. But he'd decided that in a moment of weakness. That was past now. "I told you. I can't take on the whole Sound by myself. I need Konoha, but once my use for them is past, there's nothing keeping me here."

Sakura gritted her teeth together. "_Nothing_?"

"No."

Sakura dropped her head and inhaled deeply a few times. When she looked back up at him it was like he was looking at a completely different person. Her gaze was steely, unbreakable. There was not one trace of emotion in her features. He'd never seen her like this. Not even when she was fighting. Compared to what she was usually like, it was slightly creepy.

"Fine. Have a good life and stay the hell out of mine."

Sasuke's heart pounded furiously in his chest and he watched her retreating back. This time she was walking away from him.

Why did he have this urge to go after her?

_Stop it. This is what I wanted._

He frowned as a mental image on Sakura's emotionless face came back to him. He'd done that.

_Could I have really meant that much to her? After all this time?_

Yes. And he'd just thrown it back in her face…again.

---

Sakura walked aimlessly around Konoha, numb.

_So this is how it feels to have your heart broken twice…by the same person._

She couldn't believe she'd been so stupid. It just figured. She'd always had an annoying tendency to lose her head and her heart when it came to Sasuke.

Well, she wouldn't let him do it again. He could just leave and never come back. Fine. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before. She could deal with it.

"Sakura!"

Sakura turned to find Ino running up to her. She stopped when she was a few feet away from Sakura and crossed her arms. "It's about time you got back, Forehead."

Sakura shrugged. "Well, you know me, Pig. I figured I had things to take care of back home."

Ino grinned and hugged her tightly. "Welcome back."

Sakura grinned in return. Ino always had a way of making her forget about her troubles, just like Naruto. "You have no idea how good it is to be back!"

They started walking back to Sakura's apartment.

"Okay, you _have_to tell me!"

"What?"

"Sound is a fairly big place, right? So how many cute guys were there?"

Sakura laughed. Ino must have heard about Sasuke's return and must be dying to find out about it, but she knew Sakura probably would need a distraction and provided it. Sakura was thankful to have such a friend in times like these. "What about Shikamaru?"

Ino shrugged. "I love Shika, but that doesn't mean I can't admire the finer qualities of a man." Sakura laughed as Ino pressed on. "So?"

"Well, even though some of them could be considered good looking, they were much too hard and brutal to spark much interest. But there was this one guy…" Sakura trailed of suggestively.

Ino gasped. "Tell me! What was he like?"

Sakura smiled wistfully as she remembered Omri. It was amazing that they'd established such a bond in such a short time under such circumstances. She wished he was here now. She could really use his sunny disposition and positive attitude. If she hadn't been so hung up on Sasuke, well, she couldn't begin to think of the opportunities. It was obvious after that kiss he gave her that he was certainly interested.

"When he smiled it was like the whole world smiled with him. You couldn't help but smile back and feel as happy as he did, even though he was in a place like that."

Ino went serious. "Wow." Then brightened. "Was he hot?"

Sakura laughed again. "I suppose you could say that." Though he paled in comparison to some_other certain people_ in that compound.

Ino groaned. "That means he's not. Seriously, Sakura, you have the worst taste in men when it comes to looks. I worry for you."

Sakura glared at Ino. "Hey, what about Shikamaru? Sure, he's not bad, but he's no Neji!"

Ino waved her hand dismissively. "Shika's different. He _could_be incredibly good looking; he's just too lazy to bother grooming himself properly. I bet Neji would look just as average if he didn't take care of his appearance."

Sakura could think of one person who was just as good looking as Neji (if not better) who didn't take care of his appearance whatsoever. But such thought would get her no where.

"Good point."

"So, average looks aside, are you going to see this guy again?"

"I think so, though I don't know when. When we were escaping from Sound, he took my hands, looked me in the eyes and said that his next goal in life was to see me again."

Ino put a hand on her heart. "Kami, that is _so_ sweet! Sakura, how could you let him go?"

"Well, he had some business to take care of in his former village. I couldn't keep him from that!"

Ino shook her head in disapproval. "Sakura, you know what your problem is? You're far too selfless. And while that is a good thing, it can go too far. You need to take better care of yourself!"

Sakura shook her head in denial. "Oh, I'm selfish alright. Just not in the things that really matter." They approached the front door to Sakura's apartment building and Sakura gasped. "I don't have my keys!"

Ino grinned and held up a ring of keys. "The ANBU ops gave these to me after your kidnapping. They figured I'd take care of them. That's why I was looking for you in the first place."

Sakura put her hands on her hips. "Oh, so you weren't seeking me out for my marvelous company?"

Ino shrugged as she opened the door. "Truly, Sakura. Your company leaves much to be desired."

Sakura laughed as she walked into her neglected apartment and switched on the lights. "Ooo, complex! Has Shikamaru's smartness _finally_rubbed off?"

Ino snorted as she flopped down on Sakura's green couch. "Please! Shika's far too lazy to be smart." She looked around the apartment. "Geez, Sakura! Clean this place up! It's a mess!"

Sakura looked around herself and couldn't help but agree. "You're right. Thank you _so_much for helping me out when I was away."

"Whatever. My housekeeping skills are worse than yours, Forehead. I'd probably end up trashing the place even more. What happened here anyway?" She asked as she pointed to the sake stain on the wall and the broken glass below it.

Sakura shut her eyes as images of that night assaulted her. She shook her head to get rid of them. "Some idiot threw a sake bottle against the wall."

Ino shrugged. "Well, whatever. This place smells like sake. Good luck getting _that_smell out. Everyone who comes in here is going to think you're some kind of drunk."

Sakura groaned. "Of course they are." She said as she picked up the stool Sasuke had kicked over. "So are you staying the night?"

Ino shrugged as she turned on the TV. "Sure, why not. Someone has to reintroduce you to the normal society again after spending so long in Sound."

Sakura rolled her eyes as she sat down on the couch next to Ino. She'd clean her apartment later. "I was only there for, what, a couple of weeks? Besides, Naruto was there at the end."

"Precisely."

Sakura giggled. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. All he did was bicker with Sasuke anyway. He couldn't stand the fact that, as powerful as he was, Sasuke was better."

Ino shook her head. "Sasuke Uchiha. What a nightmare."

Pain assaulted Sakura before she suppressed it. "Damn straight."

"I mean, I can't believe he kidnapped you after all this time and then came back!"

Sakura shrugged. "He only kidnapped me to heal Orochimaru's arms and he's leaving Konoha as soon as he'd taken care of Orochimaru."

Ino looked at her sharply. "You're letting him leave again?"

Sakura focused on the moving pictures of the TV screen. "Sure, why not? It's not like he wants to be here anyway."

"Really? You're just going to let him walk out of those gates again?"

She shrugged. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Ino faced the TV screen again. "No, it's just that the Sakura I know wouldn't have let him, no matter what he thought about it."

But that Sakura had died the minute he'd turned his back. "I don't have time to chase after Sasuke anymore. That part of my life is over, done. I have better things to think about."

If only she could believe it.

---

Ino studied Sakura's sleeping form. She looked exactly the same before she'd been kidnapped (maybe a little burned), but she was different. Sasuke had done something to her…again. There was no doubt about it. And Sakura loved Sasuke. No doubt about _that_either. It didn't matter how hard Sakura tried to move on, she never would. She'd just be living a lie, like she had been before she was kidnapped.

That hardness had returned. That empty Sakura. She'd seen it the moment Sakura had looked at her. She'd thought that being reunited with Sasuke would bring back some of the old Sakura, but it hadn't. It had just made it so much worse.

What had happened between them?


	12. A Decision to Make, A Heart to Break

**A/N: Okay my internet is working now so the chapters will be coming a lot faster, but there's not much left. The story is just concluding now. **

** Enjoy! **

**Twelve: A Decision to Make, A Heart to Break**

"SAKURA!"

Sakura blinked repeatedly as she opened her eyes. _What the…?_

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

_Naruto? _

Only Naruto could yell that loud.

She groaned. "What is it, idiot?"

Naruto bounded into her room. "I thought you might want to get some ramen before we go the battle meeting about Orochimaru and decide what to do with Sasuke."

Sakura rolled over. "Go away, Naruto. We can't have ramen for breakfast. And where the hell is Ino?"

Naruto walked around the other side of the bed and put his hands on his hips, the very gesture Sakura had picked up from him. "It's three thirty in the afternoon, Sakura! Ino's the reason I'm here! She said you were dead to the world and didn't want to wake you up."

_Three thirty! _

Sakura sat up groggily. "Okay, I'm up. Ramen it is."

"Believe it!" Naruto yelled as Sakura walked to the kitchen half-asleep. Naruto was running circles around her the whole way. "Aren't you excited about the meeting, Sakura?"

Sakura checked the expiry date on a carton of milk and threw it in the bin. "What meeting?"

Naruto sat on the counter and grinned. "Come on, Sakura! You know the meeting about Orochimaru and Sasuke! The scouts found Sound activity and we're preparing for battle! _And _their deciding about Sasuke's involvement! All elite jounin are required to attend! Old woman Hokage told us about it yesterday, remember?"

Sakura groaned as she threw out another carton of milk. She remembered _now_. Last night Ino had been on a mission to make her forget all about ninja life and it had worked. But now she was just thrust back into it again.

**You wanted this life, remember?**

Yeah, she remembered alright.

"Why are you looking for food, Sakura? We're having ramen, remember?"

She had said yes to ramen? Whatever. She was too tired to care. "Okay, Naruto. Just let me have a shower and get changed. And get off the counter."

Naruto jumped off and followed her to her room. "Okay, Sakura, just remember we have to wear our jounin uniforms."

"Yeah, yeah." Sakura said as she wandered into the bathroom. She envied Naruto's care-free attitude. She wished she could be so enthusiastic.

**Yeah, you're going a great job of getting over Sasuke.**

_It's not going to happen overnight! I was just hoping I could avoid seeing him for a bit longer._

**Yeah, well, after he kills Orochimaru he's leaving so you won't have to worry about that.**

Pain squeezed her chest followed by a familiar numbness - a numbness she'd have to get used to.

---

Twenty minutes later Sakura found herself at Naruto's favorite ramen stand, Ichiraku. She yawned and rubbed her eyes as Naruto ordered for her. She didn't know why she was so tired. Maybe all the emotion stress of the past weeks had finally caught up with her.

Once Naruto had gulped down his first bowl of ramen, he turned to Sakura, who was picking at her food despite her hunger. "Are you alright, Sakura?"

"No." There was no point in trying to deny it with Naruto. He knew her too well and wouldn't give up until she told him what was going on.

Naruto immediately froze. "What did he do to you?"

Naruto knew that only Sasuke was capable of making Sakura like this. She just sighed. "Nothing that I didn't bring upon myself."

"But-"

"No, Naruto. I know what Sasuke's like and yet I kept believing things would be different. It was stupid."

Naruto was silent. "It was always harder on you, wasn't it?"

Sakura looked at him curiously.

He shrugged. "You know, Sasuke leaving and all. I mean, sure, it was hard for all of us. He was like my best friend, in a weird rivalry kind of way, but you loved him. He was like your whole life."

Sakura laughed bleakly. "Yes, he was. God knows why. He never led me on in any way. He never made me believe that things would ever change, and yet I went on, blinding hoping. Blindly believing in him. And I did it all over again."

"You can't blame yourself for Sasuke being an asshole. I guess no one thinks straight when they love someone. I mean, look at Hinata-chan! I seriously thought she'd be fed up with me after I left without telling her, but she loves me more than ever! Love doesn't make sense."

Sakura smiled at him. "You're right. And you know what the worse thing about all this is; I still love him, despite all he said. Despite the fact that he's leaving again."

Naruto almost choked on his second bowl of ramen. "He's _leaving_again?"

Sakura nodded sadly. "Yes. After he's killed Orochimaru he's going to leave."

Naruto looked at her with wide eyes. "And you're just going to _let_him?"

Sakura shrugged. "What's the point in trying to stop him? He obviously doesn't want to be here."

"But he _loves_you!"

It was Sakura's turn to choke…on her own saliva. "I'm sorry, what?"

"When I was arguing with him in the forest that time that you went to get food he got really angry when I tried to interrogate him about what was going on between you two and he told me that he loves you."

Sakura gripped the bench for support. "Naruto, are you _sure_?"

Naruto nodded emphatically. "Yes. He said "I love her." Just like that!"

_No, no, no, no, no…_

It couldn't be true, but Naruto would never lie to her, especially about something like _that_. But it didn't make sense! If he loved her, why would he say all those things to her?

**Because it's Sasuke. He walks away from things he loves. He thinks it's a weakness, remember? The fact that he loves you isn't enough to keep him here. He hates the fact that he loves you.**

So that explained it. He was leaving because he wouldn't let himself love anyone. Whatever. If he wanted to live in misery, that was his choice. She was done with chasing after him.

Sakura inhaled deeply and started eating her ramen. "It doesn't make any difference now, Naruto. He's still leaving and nothing I could do would ever make him want to stay."

Naruto gaped at her. "So you're just going to let him _walk away_?"

"Yes."

Naruto put his face in his hands. "What has the world come to?"

Sakura smiled sadly. "Don't you ever wish for the days when we were still genin, when the world seemed to make sense?"

Naruto looked up at her. "The world's _never _made sense to me, but I know what you mean."

"Sometimes I wish I could go back to being that naïve, innocent little girl who saw the world the way she wanted. I was so much happier then."

Naruto looked at her thoughtfully. "Yeah, but what's the point of being happy if it's false? Ignorance isn't bliss, it's stupid. For years I didn't know about what was inside of me, but I was still unhappy. But once I knew about it my world started to get better, especially when I was put into a team with you and Sasuke. As whacked-out as our team was, I would never have changed it, because if I had, who knew how I would have turned out today? And, Sakura, if what happened hadn't happened, would you have ever become as strong as you are now? Or would you still be a weak, innocent kunoichi? Would we have grown as we have? Would we have become such good friends? Would I have ever discovered Hinata-chan? I don't know and though our lives have been full of all sorts of crap, I can't find myself wanting to change it."

Sakura was once again amazed by Naruto's mature logic. By first impression, no one would have figured that he could be so…perfect in the way only Naruto was. No wonder Hinata-chan couldn't let him go, even if he was a forgetful, hyperactive, often annoying, babbling idiot.

Sakura beamed at him. "What would I do without you, Naruto?"

Naruto grinned. "Not a lot of good. So does that mean you're not going to let Sasuke-bastard leave?"

"No."

"Damn."

"He's a lost cause, Naruto."

Naruto looked at her, a familiar gleam in his eyes. "You may give up, Sakura, but lost causes are my specialty."

Sakura groaned and put her head in her hands.

_Now what is he going to do?_

---

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke had his back against the cold wall. His forearms were resting on his knees and his head bent. He looked up at the ANBU guards through the raven bangs that partially concealed his handsome face.

"Yes."

"The trial deciding your fate is about to commence."

He activated his Sharingan to determine whether the ANBU guards were really what they appeared to be. He'd learned there wasn't such a thing as being too cautious.

The guards froze in fear at the sight of it and relaxed when his eyes returned to their normal obsidian hue.

Sasuke stood up. "Whatever."

The guard deactivated the chakra bars and opened the now-normal bared door. Sasuke could immediately feel the difference in the atmosphere in the prison cell. The chakra bars contained chakra flow. They were strong, but Sasuke was stronger. If they had any plans of keeping him under locks in the future, they'd have to make a better effort.

Three guards rushed in and fastened the chakra cuffs around his wrists. These ones were stronger than the last ones. Sakura must have told the Hokage how powerful he was. Still, he could probably break out of these ones too, though he'd probably deplete a lot of his extra reserve of chakra in the process. Not worth it. He didn't have a reason to escape right now anyway.

The guards transported him to the Hokage's Tower. He noticed the clerk's wide-eyed stare as he was lead past. Most people had that reaction when they saw him. Even the average person could feel his power.

The guards led him up numerous stairs until they entered a large room. The Council Room, he presumed by the semi-circle of seated high-class Konoha citizens. The room went silent as every eye turned to him. Some people glared with malice. They obviously didn't trust him. Some people looked on with apprehension. They obviously feared him.

The ANBU guards lead him to the side of the room and stood around him. Sasuke wondered how long it would be until this trial thing was over. The sooner he killed Orochimaru the sooner he could get out of here and forget about everything and everyone associated with this place. Being here brought back far too many memories for his liking and he disliked the constant sense of nostalgia that permeated his every waking moment. And then there was _her_, but it wouldn't do any good to let his mind wander there.

Sasuke's eye caught the familiar figure of his former sensei enter the room. He was reading his much-loved book Sasuke noticed with a smirk. Some people never changed no matter how many years had gone by and no matter how many things around them had changed. Kakashi had always been like that.

Kakashi paused as he walked past Sasuke in the midst of the ANBU guards.

"Oh, Sasuke. I heard you'd come back." He said like the reason for this meeting wasn't him. "Usually I would say welcome home, but I have the distinct feeling you don't want to be here." His visible eyes crinkled slightly at the corner so Sasuke assumed he was smiling. "Well, never mind. Welcome home." Then Kakashi busied himself in his reading and walked on until he settled against a wall.

As Sasuke looked at him he found it strange how Kakashi still felt like his superior even though he'd surpassed him in power long ago.

_I guess experience accounts for something._

Though Sasuke had had plenty of experience, even for his years, he was sure Kakashi had more, none of which he knew about. There was a certain air about the man that demanded respect, even from Sasuke. Even now Sasuke could feel it. Some of the more experienced ninja at Sound had respected his early rise to power, but he couldn't think of anyone who'd actually respected _him_. He figured everyone was too scared of him to respect him.

_Whatever._

His attention shifted as Sakura walked in the room with Naruto. She yawned and rubbed her eye. She looked like she'd just woken up. She didn't even acknowledge his presence as she stood by Naruto, leaning on him slightly. Once again he couldn't help but envy their obvious bond, but ignored it. He didn't _want _any bonds so it didn't make sense to envy them.

The next person to enter the room was Hyuuga Neji. He looked practically the same, just older and wiser. But Neji had always seemed old for his years. He wasn't much older than Sasuke, but yet he seemed years older. Sasuke wondered how powerful he'd become over the years. Neji was never one to let anyone surpass him in anything. That man had a silent, subdued air to him that demanded attention. Not much unlike Sasuke himself.

Neji looked over at Sasuke and their eyes met. He didn't nod his head in respect as Hinata had done, but just looked at him. Sasuke couldn't tell what he was thinking. He never could. The thought unnerved him somewhat. He was usually able to read everyone, but Neji was everyone.

But he _could_tell Neji was checking him out with Byakuugan. He wondered if he'd noticed his extra supply of chakra. It was a possibility, though he kept it extremely well hidden. He might have to use the Sharingan to change Neji's thinking in that respect somewhat.

A second later Neji's attention shifted to Sakura. She immediately brightened as she saw him approach and, much to Sasuke's surprise, he saw a soft smile appear on Neji's face. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he watched the exchange. What was going on there that he didn't know about?

She blushed as Neji said something to her.

_What is with that anyway?_

And why should he care?

His thoughts were interrupted as the Hokage entered the room.

---

Sakura yawned yet again. Though she was still tired, she was proud of the fact that she hadn't looked at Sasuke once since she entered the room. That was a particularly trying task after what Naruto had told her. Every cell in her body screamed at her to look at him and see if it was true, but that would have been completely pointless anyway. You could never figure out anything by looking at Sasuke. His face revealed as much emotions as a brick wall (though he was definitely better to look at).

Sakura looked up to see Neji approach them. She smiled warmly. For years she'd thought Neji was as cold and apathetic as Sasuke, but after being on a few missions with him they'd developed a respect and trust for each other and had become friends of a sort. He wasn't the kind of friend that she could cry on like with Naruto and he wasn't the kind of friend who she could gossip with like Ino. He was Neji. She couldn't think of any other way of putting it.

He smiled softly (an expression that always looked so…refined on his aristocratic face) as he approached them and bowed slightly when he stopped. "Sakura."

She bowed slightly in return while Naruto remained standing with his arms crossed. He seriously had the social skills of a five-year-old (while Sasuke had the social skills of a tree). "Neji."

Before they'd used honorifics when they addressed each other, but that habit had fallen away over the years as they'd become more familiar with each other.

"It is good to have you back. Konoha is not the same without you."

Sakura laughed. "Hinata said the same thing."

Neji smiled again. "She was correct in her assessment."

Sakura couldn't help but blush. Neji always made her blush for some reason. It was probably because he was so handsome and when he smiled like that…

"Thank you."

Neji inclined his head. "It is always a pleasure making you smile." He said lowly, so Naruto wouldn't hear. He was too distracted counting the tiles on the ceiling to hear anyway.

Sakura's blush intensified. Was he _flirting_? Was Neji even capable of flirting?

Her thoughts were interrupted as the Hokage entered the room.

"Now, let's get this over with, shall we?"

---

Naruto yawned as he continued to ignore the intense discussion going on around him. He'd been excited about this meeting/trial/whatever the hell else it was supposed to be, but it was so boring. If he'd known they were just going to talk, he wouldn't have bothered, but then again, if he hadn't come and they decided they didn't need Sasuke or whatever there wouldn't have been anyone to stop them. Kakashi didn't care about anything other than reading the next chapter of his stupid book and judging by the way Sakura was now…well…he didn't know what she'd do, but he couldn't risk it. She was just planning to let him leave after all. What was with that? The Sakura he knew would use the super-scary strength of hers to tie him around a pole or something until he agreed to stay. But this Sakura wasn't his Sakura, it was Empty Sakura. He hated that Sakura. She acted just like before, but something was always missing. A place only that bastard could fill. Naruto hated the fact that he wasn't enough. Sure, he'd helped her through the initial pain and all that, but all she'd ever wanted was Sasuke back in her life, whether she admitted it or not. And the Sakura he knew just didn't give up like this. Only Sasuke could get her in such a state.

When he'd first caught up with them he had almost forgiven Sasuke for taking her in the first place because she was finally back to Old Sakura. Naruto had been overjoyed, thinking that because Sasuke was coming back, the real Sakura would come back. But that had all crashed and burned when he found out about what had been going on between them. It was okay when Sakura's love was unrequited. As selfish as that sounded, at least that way she never got her hopes up and therefore never had them thrown back in her face. But as soon as he realized that she actually meant a lot to Sasuke, he knew she'd get hurt all over again. And that bastard had just been leading her along, letting her believe that things would be different, just to throw it back in her face all over again. Whether he did it on purpose or not, it was still unforgivable.

The only reason he wanted Sasuke to stay was to kill that snake bastard Orochimaru (Naruto didn't know if he could kill him all by himself, though he'd never admit that to anyone _ever_) and because whether Sakura admitted it or not, she was happier when he was around and he hoped that by making him stay they'd sort out the crap between them and let things go back to normal…well…as normal as things could be for them.

He glared at Sasuke, but found that Sasuke wasn't paying attention to anything either. Did he not care about his fate? Or was his apathetic attitude due to the fact that he figured he could escape anyway. Whatever. He was still a bastard. After he killed Orochimaru, Naruto was going to beat him up bad for what he said to Sakura. He couldn't believe he could be so horrible to her after telling Naruto he _loved_ her. The thought that Sasuke was capable of loving anyone at all astonished him enough, but he hadn't expected _that_! But Sasuke always had done things backwards. He loved Sakura so he wanted her as far away from him as possible, emotionally and physically. He'd kind of contradicted himself a couple of times by kissing her and holding her hand and letting her sleep on him, but Naruto kind of understood that. Sakura was his weakness. He'd lost his precious self-control a few times. No wonder Sasuke wanted to push her away. He _hated_ not being able to control his environment and, more importantly, his feelings. When you loved someone it was impossible to control your feelings. Nothing made sense. Naruto knew that. He had Hinata after all. He didn't think he'd ever understand how she could love him so much. He wasn't sure he really deserved it, but he wasn't about to complain! If she was happy with him, so be it! He was happy with her!

That's what that bastard had to learn. He was allowed to be happy, as much of an asshole as he is. But Sasuke was probably the most stubborn person he knew, beside himself. It would take a hell of a lot to change his mind about anything. But maybe Sakura would be enough this time.

"Okay, it has been decided."

Naruto snapped to attention. Man, he really had to get used to these boring things if he was going to being Hokage!

"Uchiha will be allowed to fight with us, for the sole purpose of taking down Orochimaru, but if he shows _any _sign of dangerous behavior he will be considered as the enemy and taken down immediately."

Naruto looked at Sasuke's indifferent expression. He obviously thought that if anything like happened he could get away easily enough.

He grinned. _Yeah, just you try and get away from me again you bastard._

"Uchiha's future will be decided after the battle."

Naruto continued to study Sasuke. No doubt Tsunade wasn't planning on letting him leave. Again, Sasuke probably thought he could get away easily enough.

Naruto looked at Sakura beside him. She hadn't looked at Sasuke the entire time she'd been her and her face was carefully expressionless. He didn't like it when she was like this. He liked it when he could see every emotion she was feeling at that particular time on her face. When she was like this she reminded him of the bastard standing on the other side of the room.

The Hokage looked at Sasuke who slowly looked back at her. "We are taking a great chance in allowing you to roam free somewhat during the upcoming battle, but know that we will all be watching you extremely closely."

Sasuke dipped his head slightly. "My thanks, Hokage-sama." They were the first words he'd uttered since he'd stepped into the room. "You will not regret your decision."

"I should hope not. This Council is dismissed. Uchiha, you will remain under constant guard until we need you."

Sasuke didn't reply, but just looked forward

Before the Hokage walked out she turned to Naruto and Sakura. "I need to see you two in my office. Now."

A few minutes later Naruto found himself standing before the Tsunade's desk.

"I have assigned you a new task. You two will be Sasuke's primary guardians until his future has been decided upon the results of the coming battle."

Sakura's eyes flashed. "No! I can't!"

Tsunade looked up at Sakura tiredly. "Sakura, I don't have time for your childish outbursts. This village may be on the brink of a war if this ends badly. Many of Konoha's shinobi are sure to die when Orochimaru attacks. I have bigger things to worry about than your emotional stability. You're supposed to be Konoha's top kunoichi. Pull yourself together. I don't care what's gone on between you and Uchiha, deal with it. You _will _do as you are asked."

Sakura lowered her head apologetically. "You're right. My apologies, shishou."

Tsunade waved off her apology. "Naruto, you will not leave Sasuke's side no matter how this battle turns out. I think only you and I are capable of suppressing him somewhat and maybe Neji, but he knows you. Back Sasuke. Do whatever is necessary to get to Orochimaru and end this." When Naruto nodded she looked back at Sakura. "Sakura, I will be too busy to take charge of the hospital. I'll probably be running all over the place. I'm leaving you in charge of it. All the injured will be your responsibility. Starting from now. Make whatever arrangements necessary to prepare for this."

Sakura's eyes widened as she bowed again. "Thank you." Naruto knew this was a huge responsibility to take on and it was a great honor that Tsunade trusted in her abilities enough to take this on. And Sakura was probably thankful for any distraction she could get at the moment. She'd sure have her hands full now. Naruto was glad he wasn't her at this moment, but then again, he had the bastard to deal with. He didn't know what was worse. Hundreds of sick and injured shinobi or Sasuke. It was close.

Tsunade snorted in an unladylike manner. "You won't be thanking me when this is over, but go. You deserve it." She looked back at Naruto. "I'll be observing your leading abilities in this, Naruto. I won't be Hokage forever."

Naruto grinned at the not-so-subtle hint, but didn't say anything. This battle was serious.

"I trust you guys with this. Don't let me down. You'll be notified the instant anything changes. Dismissed."

---

Sakura shut herself in her office and barraged the door with her bookcase. She knew she should be out there, sorting a million and one things out for all the injured shinobi that could be coming in at any time, but it was so_hard_! Everyone kept asking her the most asinine things and checked and rechecked things that had already been checked and rechecked and…

_ARGH! I can't take it!_

She had no idea how Tsunade handled all this on a daily basis! No wonder she had such a short fuse! In the future she'd just fade away into the background.

**Fade into the background? You? What happened to being the strongest kunoichi around? What happened to being able to handle anything for your village? Why did you even bother asking Tsunade to train you if you can handle the pressure?**

Inner Sakura was right. She had a job to do and, damn it all, she was going to do it well, even if it killed her.

She lifted the bookcase out of the way and walked outside with a new confidence. She could do this. She could save lives. This is what she'd been trained for. She was merely a tool for her village. Just a tool.

_I can do this. _

Shizune ran up to her, panting. "Sakura, we need more beds, but the delivery guy said we can't have any so soon. At this rate injured shinobi will be lying on the floor!"

Sakura narrowed her eyes. No shinobi would be on the floor under _her_ watch! "Okay, where is this guy?"

Shizune, a little scared at the look in Sakura's eyes, simply pointed down the corridor.

Sakura glared at the man with the clipboard leaning on the front desk, trying to flirt with the receptionist.

_Oh, you got it coming!_

She marched up to him and smiled with fake sweetness. "Hi."

The man looked over her with a calculating look in his eyes and smiled. "Well, hi there."

Sakura put her hands on her hips. The guy followed her action with greedy eyes.

_What a perv!!!_

"Are you supposed to be the guy delivering our extra beds?"

The man grinned and tipped his hat. "That's me. And who might you be?"

"Oh, no one really. Just the person who's in charge of this hospital."

The man's eyes bulged. "_You_? How old are you, 16?"

_Ooo, wrong answer, buddy._

**Kick his ass! **Inner Sakura yelled. **Kick. His. Ass!**

_With pleasure._

"Eighteen, actually, but from the look on your face age doesn't matter much to you. So where are my beds, hm?"

The man flushed. "Look, lady, we can't complete that order in such a short time."

"What do you mean you can't? I _know _your company would have other beds already made."

"Yes, but they're for other customers. We can't just give them away to a hospital when they've ordered them."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" She smiled sweetly at the receptionist. "Sorry about this."

She looked confused. "About what?"

As an answer, Sakura punched the desk and it spilt into two. The receptionist screamed and jumped away while the delivery man gaped. "Now you went and made me angry. You might as well add a new desk to that order, which _will_be coming in no later than four thirty this afternoon."

"I…I…"

Sakura cocked her head to the side. "Oh, still undecided, are we?"

"Like I told you, we can't give away other customer's beds when they ordered first!"

"Oh really? Well, there won't be much point in having a bed if they're all driven out of the village because Sound took over because Konoha's shinobi didn't have enough beds to recover in, therefore rendering them useless. Now I don't quite see the point in that. Do you?"

"But…"

"Oh, and big deal if dozens of shinobi die because _we_ have a bed. Oh, goody, goody! My nice, comfortable bed can make up for the fact that I virtually killed a shinobi! Oh well! There will be more!"

"Look, I get what you're saying…"

Sakura grabbed the collar of his shirt and hoisted him up in the air like he was a feather. "Really? Do you? Because if you did, those beds would be on their way _right now_."

Shizune appeared beside and looked at the guy casually. "Please, you don't want to make her angry."

The delivery man, still hanging in the air (still being glared at by Sakura) gaped at Shizune. "You mean she's not angry _now_?"

Shizune shook her head. "Now_that's _scary."

Sakura grinned evilly as her eyebrow twitched dangerously. "Oh yeah."

The delivery man gulped nervously. "Okay, they'll come. They're coming."

Sakura cocked her head to the side, hoisting him higher still. "Four thirty?"

The man nodded quickly. "Yes, yes. Four thirty…no, four. Four o'clock."

Sakura smiled sweetly. "Marvelous!" She said as he threw her hands up in purposeful delight, causing the man to drop hard on the floor. She turned to Shizune. "Now, what else do I need to take care of?"

---

Naruto stalked into the high-security prison, making a bee-line to Sasuke's single cell on the top floor. Guards tried to stop him, but Naruto just blew them out of the way. He had some business to take care of with that bastard.

"Oi! Bastard!"

Sasuke was leaning back on the headboard of his bed, hands behind his head, eyes closed. "What do you want _now_, dobe?"

"Just informing you that you're stuck with me until after we kill Orochimaru. It would be Sakura too, but she's in charge of the hospital so she hardly has time to put up with your sorry ass. Not that I'd let her near you anyway. You're like a disease that destroys everything it touches."

Sasuke didn't bother to look at him. "Then why are you so eager for me to stay all the time? Maybe you should do what Sakura's doing and just leave me be."

"Because you're not only a disease, you're an infection and I've learned to live with it and now it's part of our lives and we don't want to live without it, even if I want to kill it most of the time." Naruto had unconsciously switched to plural. He couldn't help it. He knew Sakura wanted him to stay, no matter how many times she said she didn't. He knew her, sometimes better than she knew herself.

Sasuke opened his eyes to stare at Naruto. "Well, this _infection_wants to leave so why don't you just piss off and let it."

"Maybe I would. Quite frankly I've gotten sick of your high and mighty attitude and your bastard…ness, but I'm going to make you stay because of Sakura."

"She made it quite clear she doesn't want me here."

Naruto growled. "She only said that because you want to leave. She's letting you leave because she's hoping she can just get over you if you leave, but she won't. It'll keep hurting. It did last time."

"And what is staying going to do other than make it worse?"

"You only make it worse because you want to."

"And that's not going to change any time soon so just shut up and leave me alone."

Naruto turned and punched the wall behind him in frustration, causing a large crack to form under his fist. "Why are you so damn stubborn? Why do you have to keep pushing us away?"

Sasuke crossed his arms in front of him. "You wouldn't understand, dobe."

"Oh, really? Try me."

"No thanks."

"I don't get it! Maybe before I understood why you walked away and I can forgive you for that, but now? What's your excuse now? Itachi's _gone_! There's no one who's going to come and kill everyone who means anything to you! It's over!"

Sasuke glared and him, Sharingan swirling. "It's not over. It'll never be over. It'll be here for as long as I remain breathing."

"Then let us _help_you with it!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I don't _need _help."

Naruto narrowed his eyes too. "Really? Because everything you do tells a different story."

"Then you're reading it wrong."

Naruto felt like punching the wall again, but didn't. It probably couldn't withstand another one of those blows. "Sasuke Uchiha, you are the most selfish person I've ever met."

Sasuke shrugged. "Whatever. I don't care."

Naruto snickered. "No, of course you don't. You don't care about anything. Not even Sakura, she risked it all again _just for you_. And you just threw it back in her face. I'll never understand what she sees in you."

"Whatever. Like I care."

"Really? You sure did seem to care when you told me you loved her."

Sasuke locked his jaw and looked away. A sure sign Naruto had gotten through to him. "It doesn't matter. I don't need love."

"Don't be stupid! Everyone needs love! What is life without it?"

"A hell of a lot simpler."

"Well, bastard, you may not think you need it, but it sure as hell seems as though you want it."

"Don't be stupid, dobe."

"If you don't what was with that whole kissing thing, huh? How do you explain _that_?"

Sasuke shrugged. "The same way I explained it to Sakura. It didn't mean anything."

Naruto ground his teeth and had to forcibly keep the Kyuubi's chakra from overwhelming him in his anger. "You _said_ that to _Sakura_?"

"Yes."

Naruto grabbed the chakra bars on purpose, letting them drain some of his chakra. "You're lucky I don't kill you."

"You could try."

Naruto walked out of the room before he took Sasuke up on that offer.


	13. Take Up Your Arms and Fall to the Side

**A/N: Sakura's finally back to normal (YAY)! And things between Sakura and Sasuke are starting to get better so that's good too. Oh, and Orochimaru dies. I just had to kill that bastard. Sorry if i spoiled that for you, I just can't help myself (hehe). Enjoy!**

**Thirteen: Take Up Your Arms and Fall to the Side**

Kakashi smiled as he read Icha Icha Paradise. The Sound were falling into Konoha's trap. Of course, they had to look out for any surprises, but as soon as Sound entered the city it was too late. They were dead as far as Kakashi was concerned.

He watched silently as their plan enfolded. Cries sounded out in the night. Dead shinobi. Well, they would be if they were real. Decoys couldn't really die. They just puffed into smoke. Hardly a horrible death. Kakashi always knew Naruto's Kage no Bunshins would come in handy, even if they were terribly annoying most of the time. That and his seemingly limitless chakra. Only Naruto could pull something off for so long every night without feeling it the next day.

Kakashi had had no doubt that Shikamaru's plans would work perfectly, thanks to Sasuke's information on the Sound. Now Shikamaru knew how the Sound worked as well as Sasuke did. He was the ideal strategist. He didn't think even Orochimaru was as cunning. Thank Kami Shikamaru was far too lazy to be evil. That, and Ino would pound him into the ground if he even thought about taking over Konoha.

Next were the screams of the Sound nin as they were attacked by the _real_Konoha shinobi. It was a good thing they'd moved the citizens to a safe house five miles out of the city and put them all to sleep using genjutsu, though he wondered how Tsunade would deal with all of them when they woke up and found themselves in a cave. Well, the cave was hidden, thanks to mysterious powers of Sasuke's Sharingan and they had plenty of food and water and supplies to last a few weeks.

Yes, Sasuke had come in handy. Who knew his former student would turn out to be so powerful? Well, to be honest he had never thought about it much himself. Sure, he went along on Naruto's "Get Sasuke Back" missions for a little moral support, but he never did understand their connection with the moody boy. Kakashi and always found it easy to just let life run its course and let the chips fall where they may. Sure, he'd been a little upset when Sasuke had left, but then again, there wasn't much that hadn't happened to him in his short life (32 was not that old, really).

But he _did_want to find out what Sasuke knew about the Sharingan that he didn't. He'd always liked knowing everything, even if he didn't much care about most of it. But he definitely wanted to know what tricks Sasuke had up his sleeve. There was a lot more to his story than Kakashi knew. And that other chakra. He didn't know if anyone else had picked it up, but there was something different about Sasuke's chakra.

Kakashi was drawn out of his thoughts as he heard a large splash. A water jutsu. He wondered when the Sound nin would figure out that they weren't just trying to kill them. They were corralling them and killing as many of them as they could in the process. And then overwhelm them with their forces when they had no where to run or hide or transport and kill them all anyway. Well, even if they did figure it out, there wasn't much they could do. They were completely surrounded and they were in foreign territory. Konoha clearly had the upper hand. He hoped it would last long enough for Sasuke to get through to Orochimaru. Well, either it would or Naruto would make a way. Either way, chances were they would win. It was all a matter of how many of their shinobi were injured or killed. Though they ultimately had the upper hand (unless Orochimaru had a surprise in store), the Sound were very skilled ninja. Even though Sasuke had warned them of the various things to look out for, they were still dangerous. Shikamaru had tried to keep the casualty rates down as low as possible, but some death and gore was to be expected. It was simply unavoidable. He'd learned that through years of experience (though not _that_ many years. He wasn't old or anything). They were ninja. Putting your life at risk for your village was part of the job description.

Kakashi sighed as he put his book away. He'd probably have to go and help soon. They might need it. He really had had enough of wars and all the like. Hopefully once Orochimaru was dead it'd tone down a little. Why couldn't everyone just live peacefully with each other? He had no problem with it. But then again, if that happened he'd be out of a job.

_Ah, well…_

It was time to help the troops.

---

Neji watched calmly as Naruto paced back and forth in the Hokage's office. She was out, of course, doing the many things Hokages did during times like these, but she'd commanded Naruto to stay here and watch over Uchiha until an opening to Orochimaru appeared and had left Neji in charge of Naruto in case he got impatient and went out to fight anyway. This had annoyed him as he had wanted to fight for his village, but whatever the Hokage wanted him to do, he'd do well and without complaint. That was his duty.

And now all he had to do was watch Uchiha scowl and Naruto pace as he muttered to himself.

Naruto glared at Uchiha once as he walked past. Neji had noticed that the relationship between the two had been strained. Tension had filled the air as soon as Naruto had walked through the door. He knew Naruto would never get that angry at Sasuke over anything other than Sakura.

The relationship between Uchiha and Sakura was the real mystery to him. He'd hoped to gain some insight in the matter when Uchiha and Sakura were in the same room at the trial, but all he'd found was that she didn't want to look at him. He'd hurt her in some way. That had come as no surprise. All Uchiha ever seemed to do was hurt people. But had Sakura been hurt because he meant something to her? That is what he wanted to know above all else. What did Uchiha mean to Sakura? He couldn't tell while she was in her current state. He couldn't tell if she didn't look at him. But if he could somehow make her look at him, he'd be sure to catch even the slightest shift in her expression. It would tell him anything. Sure, he could always ask Naruto. Naruto couldn't have a sense of self-preservation to save his life and that also transferred to his private life (or what should be his private life anyway). Too many a time had he heard Naruto blab on and on about his relationship with Hinata-san and quite frankly, he'd heard much more than he wanted to.

But Naruto could always be mistaken. It was Naruto, after all. If he could only gauge Sakura's reaction…well, his eyes never lied.

"Why can't we just _go_already? I want to hit something!"

Neji ignored him and remained alert, as did Uchiha. He didn't trust Uchiha, no matter how useful he'd proven so far. He was hiding something. He could feel it. When he'd looked at him with his Byakuugan before he'd noticed something strange about his chakra, but as soon as he'd seen it, it was gone. It almost felt like his Byakuugan was being blocked. He knew Uchiha could alter what the eye saw with his Sharingan, but he had been able to see through it when Uchiha had made the safe house invisible. So why couldn't he see through it now? It was entirely unsettling and he did not like it one bit.

"Come on, Neji! Let us go!"

Neji resisted the urge to smirk. Naruto could have gone. Neji doubted he could have done anything to stop him. If Naruto could beat him when they were genin, he could surely beat him now. Every time he'd sparred with him that fact had been evident. Naruto probably just feared the Hokage. She could be quite fearsome, but it was obvious that she loved Naruto like an annoying son. Well, that was obvious to him, anyway. She yelled at him most of the time so he doubted anyone else had picked it up.

"No. We will stay here until we are informed otherwise."

"Yeah, but what if no one comes to 'inform' us of anything because they're all dead!"

"I hardly think that has happened and even if it had, what hope do you think you have?"

Naruto pouted and sat down. "What_ever_. This is so stupid! Why does the old woman want us to stay here anyway?"

"Because you're probably the only one who could stop Uchiha if he went rogue." Neji said it as though he was talking to a small child. "And Uchiha is not fighting now because Hokage-sama does not want him to deplete his chakra by fighting other ninja Konoha's shinobi can handle."

Uchiha smirked and turned away to look out of the window. That settled it. He was _definitely_hiding something. Neji activated his Byakuugan, but found his sight blocked again. He tried harder.

"Hyuuga, no matter how hard you try, you are not going to get past me." Uchiha said in a monotone as he continued to look out the window.

"And what is it that you're trying to hide, Uchiha?"

Sasuke smirked again and turned to Neji, Sharingan swirling. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Neji refused to back down and met Uchiha's gaze until Naruto interrupted.

"Sasuke bastard is hiding something? Why can't you see it, Neji?" He asked, obviously confused.

Neji looked at Naruto, secretly glad to not have to gaze into those red eyes any longer. "I don't think we're going to find out unless Uchiha tells us."

Naruto pouted and crossed his arms. "Yeah, good luck with that one." He glared at Sasuke.

"Dobe."

Neji could not resist the urge to smirk. Watching these two interact (which only happened when they weren't too busy glaring at each other) was quite amusing.

Naruto sat back down. "I wonder how Sakura's doing."

Neji did not fail to miss the almost imperceptible glance Uchiha made at Naruto at the mention of Sakura's name.

_What is this?_

"Judging by how the battle is going out there, she will be swamped with the injured." Neji said, trying to test the waters. It worked as he noticed Uchiha shift his weight to one foot. Anyone else would not notice this, but Neji was an exception. This slight shift of weight showed that Uchiha was not comfortable with this subject. He clearly did not want to think about Sakura.

Maybe there was more to this relationship between Uchiha and Sakura than he first thought. And he did not like it.

"Then we should go and fight and help lessen the load for her!" Naruto protested.

"It sounds like an amiable suggestion, Naruto, but I'm afraid we can't. Uchiha needs to preserve his chakra. While I am full sure that he can take on Orochimaru, we have to be prepared. We all know Orochimaru has many tricks up his sleeve, so to speak."

Neji forced the smirk down as Sasuke went to lean against the window sill. This action showed that he was taking interest in the topic. By feigning indifference he was making it all too clear for Neji. He wondered if Uchiha figured out what he was trying to do. He wasn't _just_ interested in his relationship with Sakura (though that _was_ important).

"Aw, come on, Neji! I'm sure Sasuke can handle it! I want to fight! And I'm sure Sakura would like it a lot."

"Naruto, I too would like to help Sakura. You know she is very dear to us both." Neji smiled softly. Uchiha was rising to the bait. There was definitely something there between him and Sakura. He didn't miss the slight narrowing of Uchiha's eyes as he mentioned Sakura was dear to them _both_. "Though the hospital is a place for the ill and injured, it can also be quite a dangerous place to be in battle."

Sasuke looked away. Another sign of his interest by feigning indifference. For someone so closed he was quite easy to read. It was all about subtlety.

Naruto gasped. "What do mean_dangerous_? I thought Sakura would be the safest there!"

Neji shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Injured shinobi go to the hospital to receive treatment so they can reenter the battle. This makes it like honey to bees, the bees being the enemy. They want to eliminate the injured ninja so they cannot reenter the battle, and it is generally quite easy to do so as there are only medics there. The hospital is left with little protection as there are no shinobi that can be spared to protect the hospital. The medics are risking their lives every second they remain there."

Naruto laughed nervously as Uchiha clenched his jaw. He was becoming much more obvious.

"But, we don't have to worry about Sakura, right! I mean, she's so strong! She can take care of herself!"

Neji shrugged slightly. "In normal cases she is more than able to protect herself, but you forget one important fact, Naruto."

"What, _WHAT?"_

"She is foremost a medic, especially seeing as she is in charge of the hospital. Her main duty is to heal people and to heal people she needs to use her chakra. She cannot spare any to make craters in the ground. And you know our Sakura. She generally heals people more than she should. That will leave her weaker than usual. I am concerned for her myself."

Naruto gasped. "Then why are we still sitting her doing nothing! We have to reduce the amount of injured shinobi so she'll be safer! What are you waiting for, Neji?"

Neji glanced at Uchiha and was almost surprised to notice that all his muscles were tense. It was almost as if he was forcibly rooting himself to the spot.

"Naruto, I told you. I'm waiting for an opening. Uchiha cannot deplete his chakra."

Suddenly Neji felt a rush of power cascade over him. It was intense. He looked at Uchiha and almost gaped. His sight was no longer blocked and he saw what Uchiha had been hiding before. Chakra. Immense, powerful chakra. It was as though Uchiha had two people's worth of chakra, but one was suppressed…concealed. It was still there, though. Visible to Neji.

_What is that chakra?_

Uchiha smirked. "See, Neji. I have plenty of chakra. I don't think I'll be running out any time soon. Let's go."

---

Sakura just about collapsed as she stood up. She'd been mending another wounded shinobi's injuries and she was almost out of chakra. She knew she should stop using her chakra and let the other medics do the work as she had other things that required her attention, but she couldn't stand by and watch another medic do what she could do better.

And despite the large amount of beds she'd received this afternoon there still wasn't enough. Sakura had had no idea there could have been so many injuries, and apparently they still had the upper hand. She'd hate to see what shape the Sound's ninja were in. And they didn't have one medic among them. It was strange thinking that she'd healed a lot of those Sound nin and had gotten to know some of them even. And they were being killed by her village.

Sakura tried not to think about that as she downed another cup of coffee, as though that could replenish her chakra. Even though she knew some of the Sound nin, her village was more important. Personal feelings had to be put aside. She was a kunoichi. It was her duty to her village.

Shizune ran up to her. "Are you okay, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded and threw the coffee cup in the bin. "I'm fine. What's up?"

"Um, there's nine new shinobi that need attention immediately. It seems as though they were subject to some strange Sound jutsu we're not familiar with. They've suffered damage to their brains. It has been checked out it seems as though some sections of the brain have been scrambled. It is as though they have suffered an induced stroke."

Sakura nodded. A Sound nin or two had probably used the water surrounding the brain to conduct sound waves and scramble the brain waves. She'd seen it done before, just not to the brain. This would be tricky to heal. If she didn't do it right, they could suffer permanent brain damage. She'd have to do it. She couldn't risk anyone else doing it wrong. The brain was the most complex part of the body. If that was stuffed up, practically everything else was.

**Sakura, slow down. You have to last the night. **

_This is the last one, I promise._

---

Well, one thing Neji didn't have worry about was him losing any chakra. He didn't need to use any. Naruto was ripping through the enemy shinobi like a wild animal. In retrospect, Sasuke figured he kind of was a wild animal in a way, especially with the Kyuubi's chakra radiating off him in waves. Naruto didn't have to wait for his own chakra to run out before he could use the Kyuubi's anymore. It was just there when he needed it (or when he got really, really angry like he was now).

Sasuke recognized many of the Sound nin Naruto was tearing to shreds and he didn't feel a bit of remorse. There was a reason he never created ties with anyone. This was it. If he'd befriended any of the ninja in Sound; he would have been reluctant to kill them all to get to Orochimaru.

That was why he had to separate himself from Sakura and Naruto as soon as this was over. Who knew when something like this would happen? Though it'd be next to impossible to kill Naruto, Sakura was a different story. And as Neji had kindly pointed out earlier, when she was healing people she was quite vulnerable. And she was always healing people. It _was_her job. But he hated that she was so careless with her life. He didn't understand why she didn't take better care of herself. Surely Naruto would have tried, but she'd proven to be incredibly stubborn.

_Why do I care anyway?_

Sasuke brought his mind back to the raging battle he was standing in the middle of and glared at a Sound nin who had begun to perform some hand seals. He froze under Sasuke's gaze and he used the Sharingan to delve into his brain and shut of the area that caused him to breath. The nin was suffocated. The brain was the only part of a ninja's body that he couldn't fully protect and it controlled everything. And he was able to get into it. Orochimaru had taught him a Sound jutsu that used vibrations from the water surrounding the brain to do that, but Sasuke had modified it with the Sharingan. The jutsu only scrambled the brains signals randomly. It did not focus on a single part, like Sasuke did. At first he'd had to learn about every section of the brain and precisely what it did, but now that he knew it, the Sharingan acted on his already existent knowledge and without Sasuke having to make further effort.

Naruto paused his whirlwind of destruction to glare at Sasuke. "Aren't you going to do anything, bastard?"

Sasuke shrugged and smirked. "I thought I was supposed to be reserving my chakra. You're doing enough anyway."

Naruto pointed his finger at him accusingly. "I don't know how big that stick is that's up your ass, Sasuke-bastard, but sooner or later I'm going to come over there and yank it out, and it _won't_be pleasant."

"If your hand goes anywhere near that part of my body, dobe, you won't have it."

Naruto grinned as he punched through some ninja's head. "Well maybe I'll get Sakura to do it. I reckon you'd let _her_hand get close to that part of your body!"

Sasuke felt the extreme urge to leap for Naruto and pound him into the ground, but he had already disappeared on another killing spree.

_Dobe._

Sasuke amused himself by watching countless Sound nin perform jutsu after jutsu, just to have them slam into the barrier Sasuke had erected around himself. He supposed they'd be quite a challenge to the average elite. The jutsus they were performing were quite advanced and sneaky, but he'd trained with these jutsus for years. Nothing they did could take him by surprise.

_Now where's Orochimaru?_

---

Kakashi silently watched Sasuke fight…well…he silently watched Sasuke stand there while he foiled jutsu after jutsu without moving. He was quite amazing, really. The extent of his abilities had surprised even Kakashi, and he didn't get surprised by much.

He had unveiled his Sharingan and was attempting to copy Sasuke's techniques, but he figured he might actually have to practice these ones. If he could be bothered. And now he could see Sasuke's extra chakra source. That chakra was vaguely familiar. It was obviously not Sasuke, so how had he come to get it? another mystery Sharingan technique? Most probably.

He saw as Sasuke fixed his attention on a single point. Kakashi followed his gaze. What was he sensing that Kakashi wasn't? Or maybe the correct term would be who…

---

Sakura collapsed against the wall. She was so tired she could barely hold herself up. She'd overdone it. Again. The only thing that was keeping her awake now was adrenalin. Nothing else.

_Ugh, why did I do it again?_

**I don't think you could stop if you tried.**

_Probably not. _

"Sakura!"

Tsunade stomped up to Sakura with a scowl on her face. "What is this Shizune tells me about you healing everyone? And look! You can barely stand up!"

Sakura smiled weakly. "You know me, shishou. I can't help myself."

Tsunade shook her head. "Well, then I guess we'll have to help you. Come with me."

The buxom blonde all but picked her up and put her in an examining room. The little bed was free. "I'm going to lock the door and you're going to stay here and rest until you have enough chakra to be able to break through the door, okay?"

Sakura simply nodded. Any other time she'd argue with her, but she was just too tired.

"Shizune will take over for a while." Tsunade turned to walk out of the room when Sakura stopped her.

"Um…how's Naruto and…"

"Uchiha?" Tsunade pondered thoughtfully. "The last I heard Naruto was on a killing spree. Figures he couldn't stay by Uchiha. And Uchiha? Kakashi told me he'd found Orochimaru, so hopefully this thing will be over soon. Well, not for you at the hospital, but at least you won't have any more injured coming in once Uchiha kills Orochimaru. But Kakashi said that when he saw them, Orochimaru was defending himself pretty well. Seems as though he's got a few more tricks even Uchiha didn't know about. Never mind. I'm sure he can handle himself." She shrugged and walked out the room, locking the door with a click.

---

Sasuke panted as he withdrew from Orochimaru once more, masking his presence. This was getting no where. Orochimaru was pushing him to the very limit of his patience with all his evading jutsus and defenses. It turned out Orochimaru knew a bit more than he let on.

"Something wrong, Sasuke?"

"Should there be?"

Orochimaru appeared in the middle of the opening so Sasuke did as well. They faced each other. A sick smile twisted Orochimaru's face. "Have my jutsus been taking you by surprise?"

"They may be unexpected but they do not faze me."

Orochimaru continued to grin. "Oh, but they're making you tired, Sasuke. I can tell. Your power may be limitless, but your chakra is not."

So that's what Orochimaru was trying to do. Tire him out so he could get the hell away. Like that would work. "I hope you realize I've been copying all your techniques."

Orochimaru shrugged. "Only to be expected. I am not stupid, Sasuke. I made plans long ago in case something like this happened."

"And I hope you realize that no matter where you go or what you do, I will hunt you down and I will rip you apart."

A hint of fear hit Orochimaru's eyes before he laughed. "Really, Sasuke? Getting protective over Sakura again, are you?"

His weakness. His one weakness. The one he had to get rid of.

"Perhaps, but I plan to mend that as soon as you're dead. Which will be quite soon I assure you."

"We shall see, _Sasuke_." His tongue snaked out to lick his lips.

_This guy is seriously sick._

"But I must warn you. I do not tire as easily as you might think."

Orochimaru looked excited. "No?"

"No." Sasuke replied before he disappeared. He perched himself in a tree. He had two options. He could continue to fight as he was. Things might take a bit longer and there was the slight possibility that Orochimaru would escape. Or he could use his 'reserve' chakra.

There were a few problems with that option, though. Those few problems were the reason he'd never used this reserve chakra since the day he acquired it. It was Itachi's. And it did things to him that he didn't want happening.

_I have to end this now so I can get away from here._

It was essential.

Sasuke closed his eyes and reached down into himself to break the first seal. He'd used these seals as precautions. Not only to hide it, but to prevent it from affecting his judgment and actions.

He reached deeper. The second seal broke. He could feel it rising, slowly melding with his own chakra, feeding off his emotions, intensifying them ten fold. It was like a fire burning through his body, though not altogether unpleasant.

He could feel the anger. Anger at all Orochimaru had ever done.

And he could feel the possessiveness he had for Sakura. It was all-consuming and he didn't like it. He wondered if this was what Naruto felt like when he used the Kyuubi's chakra, which would be more powerful than Itachi's. Was it this intense?

He reached down deeper still and broke the third seal. He felt like he was going to explode, like his body couldn't contain it all. It needed release. Orochimaru was that release.

He jumped down of the tree and knew where Orochimaru was immediately. He was moving fast. Not fast enough.

Sasuke intercepted his movements and had him by the throat. The chakra was pulsating off him in waves. Orochimaru's eyes went wide.

"H-how…this isn't yours…"

Sasuke grinned evilly. A grin that wasn't his own. It was Itachi's. "No. It's not. This chakra belongs to the one you feared the most."

"It-Itachi."

"Very good. I might just let you live a couple seconds longer for that." He threw Orochimaru to his right, letting him sail through a couple dozen trees before he stopped his path by transporting directly in front of him and kicking him soundly in the chest, sending him careening back the opposite direction. He appeared beneath Orochimaru and kicked him up in the air, then appeared above him and punched him down, causing a large crater to form where Orochimaru landed.

All this happened in mere seconds and Orochimaru had no time to perform any jutsus. Because of his useless arms, he'd invented a way to build up chakra to perform jutsus, but Sasuke didn't give him enough time.

Sasuke calmly walked down into the crater and stepped on Orochimaru's leg, causing it to snap like a twig. "That was for ever threatening Sakura's life." He broke his other leg in the same manner. "That was for ever thinking you could outsmart me." He stepped on Orochimaru's already-cracked ribs and broke all of them. "And that is for being such a creepy bastard." With a swift blow to his chest, Sasuke disable all his chakra points and left Orochimaru gasping for air, even when every breath he took caused him intense pain.

Sasuke reached down and picked Orochimaru's broken body up from his throat. He snarled. "I_should _let you die a horrible, slow, painful death for all the sick things you've done, but I can't bear to leave you alive for another second."

And without another word the sound of a thousand chirping birds filled the air and Orochimaru died.

Orochimaru's head lolled limply to one side and Sasuke dropped him on the ground. He didn't want to touch him. He stared at the limp body on the ground for a few moments. Orochimaru was finally dead, but he kept expecting him to just get up again. It was strange thinking that Orochimaru, who had been a part of his world (and such a nuisance), was finally gone.

Suddenly a blinding pain coursed through his head like a thousand daggers as he felt the bloodlust rise. Part of him wanted more blood. Part of him wanted to kill, to cause destruction.

Itachi.

He sunk to his knees and tried to fight it back, but all that came was more blinding pain in his head.

_No! He will not take over me! _

He would always be his own. No one would take over his body.

_I will not become you!_

He would not become that which he hated the most.

---

They were retreating. The Sound nin were running away.

_What's up with that?_

The only reason he could think of that would explain why _Sound_nin were running away was…

Orochimaru must be dead!

_Sasuke must have killed him! And left none for me. Bastard._

But nothing could stop the slow grin the spread on Naruto's face. He started jumping around shouting "He's dead! He's dead!" before he stopped and thought a bit. He remembered something the Third Hokage had always said.

"_Don't count your chickens before they hatch."_

He'd never really gotten what he meant. He didn't have any damn chickens so how was he supposed to count them! But maybe he meant that he shouldn't assume things before he had proof he was right.

_Okay, Naruto. Go check._

But where was he supposed to find them anyway?

Then he remembered something that bastard had said to him.

"…_besides, your nose is better."_

He couldn't remember when he'd said it, but whatever. That meant he could smell Sasuke out. He'd never forget _that_smell. It smelt of…bastard. Maybe Sakura liked that smell for some strange reason. Maybe that was why she couldn't seem to resist him. But, no, she couldn't smell things like he did.

_Okay, calm down, Naruto. Concentrate. _

He shut his eyes and tried to sort out the various smells around when he heard a faint cry of pain.

He knew instantly that it was Sasuke. He didn't know why or how, but he did.

He ran at full speed in the direction and came across a clearing surrounded by scorched trees (no doubt Sasuke's doing). In that clearing he noticed two things.

He saw Orochimaru's mangled, lifeless body with a gaping hole in the middle of the chest - the work of the Chidori.

_YES! He's dead!_

And he noticed Sasuke kneeling on the ground, one hand on his head, one hand on the ground, holding him up.

He cried out in pain again and Naruto was by his side in an instant.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked up at him, his eyes were black. "Naruto…" He whispered painfully. "Get back. Itachi…"

Naruto was confused. "Itachi? You killed Orochimaru, not Itachi. You killed Itachi ages ago. What's wrong with you?"

Sasuke shook his head as he gritted his teeth. "No…" He looked up at Naruto again and this time his eyes were red and fierce. "I said get back." He said in a voice that was not his own.

This was not Sasuke.

Sasuke cried out again and gasped in pain. "Naruto, I said _get back_!"

He was back to Sasuke again. But who was the other guy? He was so like Sasuke but so different…

Itachi!

_But how…?_

"Don't worry, Sasuke, I'm taking you to Sakura. She'll know what to do."

Sasuke looked up at him with pure fear in his eyes. "No. Don't. Whatever you do, don't take me to her. I'll…" He stopped as he gasped in pain again, collapsing on the ground.

"Now's not the time to be avoiding her, bastard." He said as he put his arms around Sasuke and transported him to the front of the hospital.

It was crowded. There were wounded shinobi _everywhere_.

_So where the hell is Sakura?_

Naruto put hoisted one of Sasuke's arms around his shoulders and pulled him through the throng of shinobi, looking desperately for Sakura.

"Sakura! _Sakura! SAKURA! SAKURA-CHAN!"_

A door slammed open with a loud crash and Sakura stepped out over it. "_WHAT_?"

---

Sakura gasped as she saw Sasuke literally hanging off Naruto, holding his head with one hand, struggling to breathe.

"What happened?" She asked as she rushed over to him, putting his other arm around her shoulders. He pushed her off with surprising strength. Sakura tried not to let it bother her, but she felt the stab of pain anyway. "Let's get him into this examining room. Everything else is full."

Naruto took him in and sat him on the bed. Sakura immediately tried to check his vitals, but every time she got near him he pushed her away violently.

_Why won't he let me see what's wrong with him? He's in pain!_

Sakura bit back the tears of frustration as she turned to Naruto. "What happened?"

Naruto shook his head. "I found him like this next to Orochimaru's body."

_So he killed Orochimaru!_

**Not now.**

She noticed the bewildered look on Naruto's face as he looked at Sasuke. "What is it, Naruto?"

"Sakura, something weird is going on in his head. He…he said something about Itachi. I think it has something to do with Itachi."

Sakura cocked her head to one side. "But that doesn't make sense! He killed Itachi years ago and then…"

_And then copied his chakra._

Did it have something to do with Itachi's chakra?

"Naruto, go get Tsunade, quick!"

"But…"

"If you want to save Sasuke's life, go _now_."

Naruto looked at her for a second and then disappeared.

She looked at Sasuke for a few seconds, trying figure out what was wrong. She could sense something different about his chakra. He'd used Itachi's chakra. It must be doing something to him that he couldn't control.

_So how do I fix it? _

She tried to put get near him again, but he pushed her away.

"Sakura…stay away…"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched dangerously. What was he thinking! Couldn't he tell something was seriously wrong with him? _Stupid, stubborn… _"Not this time, Sasuke."

Using her own strength she pushed throw his attempts and put her hands on his head, using her chakra to delve in. All she saw was flashes of red. But new emotions were hitting her viciously. Anger, pain, hurt, frustration, bloodlust, hatred…the darkness and intensity of it caused her to pull her hands away with a gasp. When Sasuke looked up at her his eyes were red, his grin malevolent and full of malicious intent. A second later a hand had formed an unbreakable grip around her throat, squeezing the air out of her, immobilizing her chakra.

This wasn't Sasuke. It was Itachi. She'd recognize those haunting eyes anywhere.

But Sasuke was still in there. He had to be.

Tears came to her eyes as she struggled to breathe. "Sasuke…please…"

His eyes flashed black and the hand around her neck loosened. His face was pained. "Sakura, I can't hold him…"

And the red returned along with the choking hold around her neck. She was going to die. If Sasuke/Itachi didn't stop she was going to die.

**Fight back! Don't give up like this!**

Sakura grabbed Sasuke/Itachi's wrist with her hand and severed the tendons, making his hand useless. She jumped back, panting, trying to regain her breath.

Sasuke/Itachi jumped for her, but she side stepped him and he fell to the ground in pain again.

_Sasuke…what's happening to you? _And she was powerless to stop it.

**Or are you?**

As Sasuke/Itachi writhed on the ground her mind wandered back to the Forest of Death during the chunin exams, when she'd first seen the curse mark consume Sasuke. He'd been controlled by it until she'd hugged him. And it'd died down.

**It's worth a shot.**

_He could kill me._

**So? **

She was a medic. Help anyone at any cost.

Sasuke/Itachi returned to his feet and his eyes were red again.

_Itachi._

Instead of attacking her, he watched as she ran to him and threw her arms around him. He tensed.

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut. "Please, Sasuke. Come back."

Acting on pure impulse, she kissed him was immediately pulled into a dark world full of nothing but pain.

---

Tsunade rushed into the room to find an unconscious Sakura sprawled on top of an unconscious Sasuke.

_What happened here?_ She thought as Naruto cried in dismay and picked Sakura up carefully, barely paying attention to Sasuke.

Tsunade placed her hand on Sakura's forehead and immediately drew back, eyes wide.

"What? What is it?"

She shook her head. "All we can do for them now is make them comfortable. I'm afraid they're not going to come back unless they want to."

Naruto's eyes widened in panic. "What's happened to them?"

"They're lost in Sasuke's head. Kami knows what could be going on in there."

---

Sakura awoke with a sharp gasp and sat up. The room was white. Plain. Stark. So unlike the nightmare she'd just escaped.

His nightmare. Sasuke's nightmare. But it wasn't just a nightmare to him. It'd happened. And now she too had seen it all. Felt all he had felt.

Sakura gasped her in pain that wasn't entirely physical. _How does he stand it?_

The horror of what Itachi had done. The horror of seeing him again when he was twelve. Sasuke's suffocating fear when he found he was after Naruto. The unbearable panic, that he was going to lose everything he loved all over again. The hardness. The realization that he had to severe his bonds to preserve his sanity. And leave.

Then the pain at seeing him again, followed by the satisfaction that he was more powerful. But the fear was still there. And even as Itachi had lain dying, it was there. It had intensified two fold when Sasuke copied his chakra and withdrew it to himself. Fear was a weakness. And that had made him furious above all else.

The Akatsuki had come, wanted him to become their leader. He killed them all instead. Ruthlessly. It had played out before Sakura's eyes. He didn't need anyone. Hadn't he proven that?

But the dreams came almost every night. The demon that was Itachi still lived…inside of him. Though he'd suppressed the foreign chakra, it was still there, inside of him. He could feel it. Just like Naruto could feel the presence of the Nine-Tailed Fox. He hated himself for that. For what was inside of him. He couldn't bear it.

And then _she'd_come and rubbed salt into already-existing wounds. Just her presence was enough for him to break. A new weakness had formed and with that weakness had come that same, unbearable fear that haunted him. A fear that the bonds he thought he'd severed weren't as broken as he first thought. And the reappearance of Naruto had confirmed it. They were the two people he could never get rid of.

_Sasuke…_

How could she hate him now? How? She wanted nothing more than to hurt him as he hurt her, but was it even possible to hurt him further? If that happened, would he finally break?

All she could find was compassion and understanding.

_Sasuke…_

She jumped out of the hospital bed, ignoring the swaying room, and ran out into the corridor, practically bowling over Shizune.

"Sakura! You're awake! I was just about to check on you!"

Sakura barely noticed she was speaking. "Shizune, where's Sasuke's room."

Shizune's eyes widened a fraction, but she must have caught the desperate hint in Sakura's voice and answered. "Down the hall. Room 26."

"Thank you."

"There are at least half a dozen ANBU ops guarding him."

Sakura shrugged and ran down the corridor. Hell, if any guards got in her way she'd make sure they wouldn't be able to piss for weeks.

Sakura opened the door to room 26 and found herself face to face with Neji.

"Sakura? You're awake?"

"Neji. I need to see Sasuke." She said urgently. She didn't know why she had the intense need to see him. She couldn't relax until she knew if he was okay. He may be practically invincible physically, but when it came to what was inside his head…well…that was an entirely different story.

"Sakura…I…" He too must have noticed her urgency and stepped aside. "Do what you need to do." He said with slight incline of his head.

Sakura quickly pecked him on the cheek, something she'd normally _never_do, and ran inside to find Sasuke sitting up on his bed, legs stretched out, and arms crossed, glaring at the wall.

The sight of him there almost caused her heart to cave in on itself. He was okay. Well, for the most part. But he was still hurting. And for some strange reason she had the intense desire to take the hurt away. But how was she supposed to do that if he wouldn't let her?

Sasuke turned his attention to her. "Are you going to say something? I'm sure you didn't run in here like a madwoman just to look at me. Though I could be wrong."

Sakura's heart reached out to him, feeling his pain. She understood now. How he hid behind blank faces and cutting words. It was his protection. His ultimate defense. But she knew they could be broken. It was just incredibly hard.

"I…um…I wanted to see if Itachi was still in you."

Sasuke shrugged and turned his attention back to the wall. "Well, I suppose you could say he is, though that old woman sealed him so tightly I don't think even I can break it. Not that I want to."

Sakura wondered if he noticed that he'd called Tsunade 'old woman' just like Naruto did. But she decided it wouldn't be wise to point that out.

"Well, that's good I suppose." But really, her relief was hard to contain. She just wanted to smile in giddy delight.

"Yeah. So what's your real reason for coming here?"

_Damn._

"I…I wanted to see if you were okay." She didn't miss the sharp look of surprise on his face before it returned to an indifferent mask.

"I'm fine. You can leave now."

She didn't want to. And hell, when she didn't want to do something, it took all the forces on heaven and earth to move her. She started moving towards him. "No. I want to check for myself. You would say you're fine even if you were stabbed in fifty different places by kunai or shrukin."

Sasuke shrugged. "Probably, if it would get you to go away."

Sakura bit her lip to force down her frustration.

_He is so damn stubborn! _

**HELLO! It's Sasuke! When has he ever been anything else?**

_That time he held me in his arms and said he never meant to make me cry. Or maybe the time when he first kissed me so tenderly…_

Sakura put her hands on her hips and glared at him. Just because she understood why he did what he did doesn't mean he could get away with being such an asshole! "Well, sorry, buster, I ain't going anywhere."

There was a double meaning to those words and by the calculating look in his eyes, he knew it all too well.

She didn't back down. _Well, tough! _

**What was that you said earlier about giving up on him and just letting him leave?**

_Since when was I such a coward! Nope, he's staying, even if I have to tie him around a pole like a pretzel. _

**That's my girl.**

How could she let him walk away knowing what was going on inside of his head? How could she abandon him like that? She couldn't. Some things change, but some things don't.

"Whatever. I don't care."

Sakura resisted the urge to grin. She had won some ground. "Okay. Take off your shirt."

He gave her a bland look that said _Yeah, right._

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Just do it. I need to check your vitals. It's not like I haven't seen you without a shirt on before."

"Whatever." He said as she took his shirt off and threw it to the side carelessly. Sakura was forced to catch her breath lest she let out a totally inappropriate sound at the sight of his well-muscled torso.

_Damn, why does he have to be so _**fine**

**You know you wouldn't change it for the world.**

_Mmm…true that._

Sasuke gave her a bored stare, crossing his muscular arms over his muscular chest, causing those muscles to flex. "What are you waiting for?"

_I'm waiting for my heart to restart._

Sakura walked over to him silently. "Lay back."

Sasuke scowled at her as he did, exposing all those delicious abs.

_Oh yeah…_

**Stop it! Concentrate!**

_Um…hello! A bit hard at the moment!_

**Check-up, remember. **

_Yeah, yeah…_

**And the sooner you get on with it the sooner you get to touch all that toned muscle.**

_Now that's what I'm talking about!_

Sakura laid her hand over his heart to start with. His skin was warm and soft, yet hard at the same time.

_How can someone so cold be so warm?_

Banishing her thoughts, she moved her hands over him, getting his vitals with her chakra. He flinched involuntarily as she ran her hands over his chest. She looked at him to see his eyes closed tightly and his jaw clenched.

She pulled her hands away.

"Are you okay?"

---

Sasuke wanted to smirk at her innocent question. Was he okay? Hell no. He was trying to fight off the hard-on caused by her gentle ministrations on his body. How was that okay? It wasn't.

"Just hurry up already." The sooner this torture was over the better. He could get the hell away from her and this weird affect she had on his body. He didn't understand why he reacted to her touch so…violently. Sure, he had desired her before, but this was deeper.

He remembered falling in and out of himself as he fought the blinding pain in his skull and the enemy spirit rising within him. He remembered how he'd…no, how Itachi had tried to strangle Sakura. Itachi's spirit force was acting on his emotions. Sakura was a weakness. He had to destroy weaknesses.

But weakness or not, Sasuke had never wanted to hurt Sakura in any way. Well, not in any physical way. That's why this whole thing had started. So she would continue living, lighting up the world with that smile of hers.

_What's the point if she's merely a shell of what she used to be? Because of me._

Whatever. Why should he care?

But those emotions last night had scared him. And what scared him even more was the fact that they had died down once Sakura had put her arms around him…just like that time in the Forest of Death. And when she'd kissed him…everything had gone black and remained that way until he'd awoken earlier. Had the same thing happened to Sakura? The way she'd rushed into his room like that. It wasn't normal. Sure, Sakura got worried about people, but she was calm. She was a medic. But that look in her eyes before wasn't calm…it was frantic. Sure, she could have been worried about the whole Itachi chakra thing, but it was something else. He didn't know how, but he could just _tell_. And the fact that he felt it so clearly scared him the most. What was happening to him? What was happening to them?

Sakura smiled and took her hands off him. Sweet release, but part of him wished they were still there.

_Don't be stupid._

"All done!"

Just as Sasuke was about to tell her to bug off, the Hokage walked in, looking angry. Great. Just what he needed.

But she dismissed the ANBU ops and growled at Sakura instead. "What are you doing here?"

Sakura didn't back down. "Checking up on him."

Tsunade glared. "_Why_?"

Sakura smiled and shrugged. "I'm a medic. It's what I do."

"Nevertheless, he could be dangerous."

"I can handle myself, Tsunade. You know that. You trained me."

Tsunade sighed, clearly defeated. "Fine. Well, he should be okay now that I sealed that chakra in him good.

Sakura beamed. "Then what are you worried about?"

"His fate."

They talked of him as though he weren't in the room. People seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Whatever. Like he cared.

"Huh?" Sakura asked, confused.

"Remember in the meeting before the battle? It was said that his future in Konoha would be decided upon the outcome of the battle."

This time Sasuke spoke up. "I can make that decision for you. I'm leaving."

Tsunade and Sakura both turned to glare at him. "No, you're not." The said simultaneously.

Sasuke's eyebrow went up as he regarded Sakura. What had happened to make her change her mind? Before she couldn't care less. Something was definitely going on with her and he hated not knowing.

"Why not? What does it matter?"

Tsunade waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, not all that much to me, I suppose. But in order to let you stay in the village in the first place I had to make a promise to them."

Sasuke's narrowed his eyes at her. He didn't like this one bit. "And what would that be?"

Tsunade shrugged. "They want their prestigious Uchiha clan back. You can leave whenever you want…once you've resurrected your clan. And unless you can bring back the dead, which I don't highly recommend in the first place, then you know there's only one way to do that."

Sasuke's mouth dropped open in surprise as Sakura started coughing as she choked on her own spit.

"_Excuse me!_" he and Sakura said in unison. They shot a glance at each other before they returned their attention to Tsunade.

_She cannot be serious! There is absolutely no way!_ He didn't want a family. It was just one more thing to be taken away from him. One more weakness.

"You heard what I said."

Sasuke's anger rose to dangerous proportions. The air around him sizzled. "I will just leave anyway, you know."

Tsunade laughed. "As soon as you got twenty meters away from the walls you'd die of poisoning. It wasn't just a seal I placed in you while you were unconscious, Uchiha. I also put in a dormant poison. My very own jutsu. It is activated on my will. You leave, you die. Simple."

It was all Sasuke could do not to gape at her. He settled for a death glare instead. He _had_ felt something different in his body when he woke up, but had assumed it was that stupid seal. Not _this_.

"_Damn you._"

Tsunade shrugged. "Damning me is not going to do any good. It'll still be there."

Sasuke smirked. "I could just kill you."

Tsunade wasn't fazed though he could feel Sakura glaring daggers. "You could and then have a whole village after you're ass."

"Could present a challenge. I haven't had one of those for a while."

Tsunade actually had the nerve to laugh. "Please, Uchiha. We both know you're not going to kill me. You know you'd been injured during the fight with me and lose a lot of chakra and it would be really hard to access Itachi's chakra without killing yourself in the process, and even if you did, who knows what could happen? Without enough chakra of your own to control his, it could take over you. For good. Now do you really want that?"

Sasuke didn't answer but look at her with a bored expression. He didn't need to say anything. They both knew he had no choice but to stay for now. And he resented the fact. How was he supposed to cut his bonds if they followed him around everywhere?

"Your punishment will be decided in a Council meeting three days from now. You'll stay here under heavy guard until then." She looked at Sakura, who was looking at Sasuke, who was looking at the wall. "Sakura, with me."

With one last look at him, Sakura exited the room with the Hokage. Once the door shut heard an argument begin but it slowly traveled down the hall, leaving him alone in his silent solitude.


	14. Just Adjust

**A/N: Finally some Sasuke/Sakura action! It's been a while! Everything is just concluding now so I hope you like the way it ends! Enjoy!**

**Fourteen: Just Adjust**

Sakura was making her way to the Hokage's office, lost in thought, when she bumped into solid figure. Sakura was about to apologize profusely before she looked up into the handsome face of Hyuuga Neji as he steadied her. All she could manage was a blush.

_Ugh! Why do I always blush around him?_

He smiled warmly and her stomach flipped over at least twice. How did he do that with just a smile? Was it because it was the stately, high-class, out-of-reach Hyuuga Neji and the fact that he bothered to take the time to talk with such a normal person at all was flattering? Or was it because he was so _handsome_? Neji wasn't a guy you could call 'hot' or 'cute' or even 'good looking.' Those terms just didn't fit. It had to be handsome.

"Sakura! Are you okay?"

Sakura smiled sheepishly, like she was being scolded by an adult. "Oh…um…yes. I'm sorry. I should pay more attention to where I'm going."

Neji's smile diminished her embarrassment and heightened her blush. "It is not a problem, Sakura. I can full understand the turmoil that must be going through your mind at a time like this."

Sakura felt the urge to shiver under the intense scrutiny of those pale, piercing eyes. She had actually been thinking about these cute shoes she'd seen in a shop the other day and was wondering if she should by them, as ridiculously priced as they were…but Neji didn't need to know that. For some reason she wanted him to think she was different to the others girls so she'd feel deserving enough to warrant his attention. But she was _so _normal.

When she didn't answer he continued. "What is your destination?"

"Oh…the Hokage's office. I'm pretty sure it's about Sasuke's trial. I still don't understand why we elite didn't get to attend." She said as she pouted.

An expression she didn't quite recognize crossed Neji's face before it returned to the soft smile. "The reason we were required to attend the first trial and not this one is because that trial had to do with the upcoming battle. The Council thought it would be wise to seek the input of their battle-hard shinobi elite, even though most of us just stood around anyway. Shinobi are rarely interested in politics." Sakura nodded. He was right. "The reason they do not require us to attend this trial is because it is solely to do with the village. They do not need our input."

Sakura nodded. "That makes sense. Well, at least that's one less thing I have to yell and Tsunade-sama about." She froze as she realized what she'd just said in front of Neji. He probably thought her a reckless, disrespectful, immature youth who could not obey the instruction of their sensei. "I…I didn't mean…"

Neji's perfect smile widened as he held up his hand to stop her. "I know what you mean, Sakura. Your relationship with Hokage-sama is clear to me."

She resisted the urge to sigh in relief. Of course. Nothing was unclear to Neji. He was the most perceptive person she knew, even more so than Sasuke (because he was usually too damn stubborn to see what was happening). "Oh." It was all she could think to say and it was amazingly inadequate. But Neji rescued her from her discomfort.

"It would be my honor to escort you to Hokage-sama's office." He said with a slight smile and a bow.

Sakura's eyes widened as far as they could go. Hyuuga Neji had just said it would be his _honor _to escort her to the Hokage's office.

**Relax, Sakura. This is Neji. He probably does stuff like this all the time. He's always been so polite.**

_Yes…yes, relax._

Neji straightened and his smile widened as she stood immobile. "An answer would be appreciated."

Sakura burned crimson. "Oh…oh! Sorry! That would be…great!" She answered lamely. God, she felt like an idiot!

---

"_NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! I REFUSE! I WILL NOT_!"

Tsunade smiled at Sakura's outburst. She'd expected it. "You don't really have a choice, Sakura. If you can't take him in, we'll just have to grant his wish and let him leave peacefully."

Sakura's jaw locked as her eyebrow twitched. She was getting angry. "He can't leave. What about the poison you put in him?"

Tsunade laughed. "That? Please! It may be lethal to anyone else, but he doesn't fall into most categories. He could overcome that poison and he knows it."

Sakura pouted, crossed her arms, and looked away. "Then why doesn't he just leave."

"Maybe he realizes you and Naruto will just hunt him down where ever he goes. He'll never get a moment's peace."

Sakura shut her eyes and shook her head. "I refuse to take him in. No freaking way. Not only do I have a life, but this is _Sasuke Uchiha_! I can't have him _live_ with me! I don't want him in that cramped little place with me and I don't want to baby-sit him to make sure he's not ripping people to shreds behind our backs. Didn't he prove himself in the battle with Orochimaru?"

Tsunade shrugged. "He may have been trustworthy then, but that was when he needed us. He doesn't need us anymore. He doesn't want to be here, or so he says. Circumstances have changed so must the punishment. He cannot wander around the village free. Despite any connection you have to him, Sakura, he is a murderer. Sure, he murdered people we wanted dead, but there would have been others."

Tears rose to Sakura's eyes. "How do you know? Ninja kill people! That's pretty much our entire job! How many people have _you_ killed and yet you're our Hokage! The Council just wants him locked up because they're afraid of his powers!"

"That may be all well and true, Sakura, but I can't stop it. I may not think he is a murderer, but I do think he's dangerous, as much to himself as others. You know more than anyone about that, Sakura. You were inside his mind."

Sakura flinched, probably as some unwarranted flashback came to her. Oh, Sakura knew alright.

"Is that why you want me with him? Because I understand him more than anyone else?"

"That's one of the reasons, yes."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "And what are the others?"

"They don't concern you."

Sakura exploded. "_They_ _don't concern me_? Um, hello! You're trying to get me to _live _with Sasuke!"

"Well, yes, I suppose it does concern you, but that does not mean I'm going to tell you. And I'm not trying to make you live with him, I'm telling you to. You don't have a choice in this, Sakura. Unless you want to become a disgraced shinobi for being unable to comply with direct orders?"

Sakura shut her eyes against her tears and grit her teeth. A few seconds later she looked up at Tsunade and a steely resolve was in her eyes. This was her Sakura. The Sakura that could handle anything. The Sakura she'd trained.

"Fine. I'll do it."

---

"No freaking way."

Tsunade smiled. "That's exactly the same thing she said."

Sasuke blinked at Tsunade. Had she gone insane? Clearly. "No."

"You don't have a choice."

He sneered. "Don't I?" There was nothing on heaven or earth that could make him live with Sakura. When he'd been sentenced to house arrest under close guard for six months, he'd assumed at his own former house, still unoccupied, and some random ANBU guard would come in every day. Not actually _live _with someone in _their _house. Especially Sakura. No way. It was not going to happen. No further comment necessary.

"No, you don't. You should do the same as Sakura and resign yourself to your fate."

'Doom' was a more appropriate word. She'd castrate him while he slept! "No."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed dangerously. Such an aura was emanating of her he actually felt slightly afraid for the first time in a long time. Damn, this woman was scary. "Yes. You. _Will_." She ground out through clenched teeth.

_Damn._

He looked away, seemingly bored. "Whatever. I don't care."

---

Sakura all but stomped to the hospital to pick up Sasuke, like he was some little kid who needed help crossing the street.

_Stupid, freaking…_

She was supposed to live with that asshole for _six months_! Her life was over! OVER! She'd probably go insane! All she'd hear was "Whatever" and "I don't care" and perhaps the odd "Go away" for six months! How was she supposed to survive!

Sure, she understood Sasuke. It didn't mean he wasn't an asshole. Tsunade said that was one of the reasons she'd put him with her. Another one was probably that anyone else would attempt to kill him if they had to put up with him for so long. It was like a mission from hell.

And what was worse is that the very Sasuke she had loved for so long was going to be living with her! So much for trying to get rid of her feelings for him! Sure, she wanted to be his friend, but nothing more. He'd hurt her too much. That would never work. He'd made that perfectly clear. She didn't think he loved her anyway. If he did, he sure had a backward way of showing it. "_I love her so I'm going to tell her to piss off._" Yeah, that made sense. Not. For a genius he was incredibly _stupid_!

How was she supposed to survive if she had to wake up to his shirtless body every morning? How was she supposed to share her personal living quarters with a guy who'd ripped out her heart, stomped on it a couple of times, put it back in, let it heal somewhat then repeated the process? Sure, it was his way. He did it to protect himself, but that didn't make it hurt any less!

Sakura winced as another flashback came to her. The pain followed. Kami, she hated those. They came at whatever time she started to get really angry at Sasuke. And that was often. So it was really annoying…and scary. And what's worse…she always forgave him. How could she not after feeling his unbearable pain? Had it been her, would she have been any different?

_Doesn't matter. I still don't want to live with him._

But she had no choice. Neither did he. All she could do was suck up the pain and continue on with her life as normally as possible.

_Looks like I'll be taking extra shifts at the hospital._

**Of course. Running away instead of facing the problem. Just like someone else we're familiar with.**

_Shut up._

She didn't want to deal with her patronizing inner self right now, because that patronizing inner self was right.

Sakura stormed up the stairs, ignoring friendly waves and greetings. They'd understand once they saw what she had to drag home.

She slammed open Sasuke's door to find a dozen ANBU standing around. "Leave." She said. They knew where she was taking him and left. She didn't know why he still had guards. It was stupid. This whole damn thing was stupid.

Sasuke sat passively on the bed, eyes closed, hands folded behind his head. He didn't even bother to acknowledge her presence.

_Oh, if that's how it's gonna be, buster, bring it! I am _not _in the mood!_

"Let's go." She said shortly.He opened his eyes and gazed at her with those deep, charcoal eyes. Her heart lurched and a pang of the desire stabbed through her chest.

_Argh! Is that what I have to put up with for six months? _

Sasuke didn't speak as he got off the bed in one fluid motion and took his time to walk over to her. Sakura just glared at him.

Sasuke looked incredibly bored. "So?"

His deep voice sent shivers down her spine and she wondered if he noticed. She sure hoped not. It wouldn't do any good for him to know he still had that power over her. "Don't you have clothes or something?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and looked down at what he was wearing. It was the same outfit he'd been wearing since their escape from Sound. The white shirt she'd ripped open (though it had a black t-shirt underneath that looked suspiciously like Naruto's), the black pants and shoes. He no longer wore his hitate, but instead had a blue band around his forehead with a insignia of the Uchiha clan printed on the side, a subtle act of defiance, showing he didn't belong to anyone but himself.

Whatever. He could shove his stupid pride and whatever else he wanted up his ass. If he had room. Naruto's theory was that while training Orochimaru had accidentally shoved a katana up his ass and he couldn't get it, that being the cause of his bastard…ness (as Naruto called it).

"I didn't exactly have time to stop for shopping."

Sakura wrinkled her nose. Those clothes, though they'd obviously been washed, still held the faint stains of blood. Thank Kami he'd showered. "Well, then we'll have to take care of that now. I'm going to be busy for a while and won't have time."

"Whatever. I don't care."

No, of course he didn't.

As they walked outside people stopped and turned to stare openly at the pair walking down the street. She supposed it might be an unusual sight. A pink-haired, fragile-looking kunoichi practically marching down the street and Uchiha Sasuke tagging along a few feet behind, looking cool and distant even as he walked, though his steps were laced with purpose and determination, though he had no where he belonged and nothing to do.

She wondered why he even bothered living. What was keeping him alive? His whole life had revolved around a single purpose – killing Itachi. And he'd done that two years ago. What kept him going? What kept him sane? She was itching to ask him, but didn't, knowing her only reply would be a scathing answer that cut deeper than a kunai knife.

She stopped before a common ninja-equipment store. She figured these were the only type of clothes he was used to wearing. He was a ninja…a warrior. Nothing else. He wasn't the kind of guy to dress in jeans and t-shirt with a smile on his face, holding his girlfriend's hand as they walked around Konoha. She'd been delusional for ever thinking otherwise. Sasuke Uchiha didn't do relationships. He did death and hurt and pain and revenge. Nothing she wanted for herself, so why did she so want to be a part of him?

Pushing her thoughts away, Sakura walked into the shop, knowing Sasuke would follow. Where else did he have to go? And he needed new clothes. He stopped beside her wordlessly as she reached into her pocket and withdrew a card. "Tsunade-sama gave me this. This is basically your clan's money that you inherited. Every cent. They never used any, knowing it didn't belong to them, even when they needed it. I'm to take care of it unless I deem it necessary to give it to you. Like now."

"Yeah…" He said as he took the card and stalked off in the opposite direction.

"Yeah, whatever, you asshole." She said more to herself than anyone. She didn't dare venture further into the shop, knowing that if she did, she'd want to buy more than she could afford. At least Tsunade was paying her for this stupid house-arrest crap. That was the only perk, though she'd probably rather be poor.

About twenty minutes later Sasuke approached her with a two bags. "Let's go."

"Yes, sir." She mocked and followed Sasuke out. He waited for her to lead the way.

After five minutes of bearing the heat and the stares, they reached Sakura's apartment. She opened the lock with her keys and entered the home that would no longer be only hers. Her freedom was gone. She could no longer do things only she could do in her home.

**Yeah, like sit on the counter and skull sake.**

_Shut up._

She was still annoyed at her voice of reason. She just wanted to be angry for a little while longer. She'd be more pleasant later, when she'd sort of gotten used to the fact that her home wasn't hers anymore and she was sharing it with none other than Sasuke Uchiha.

She turned to him to find him studying the room slowly. No doubt he'd recognize it from the time he'd kidnapped her. She'd long cleaned up the place and it was now as sort of pristine as it was before.

"I only have one room so because there is no way in hell that I'm ever going to share a bed with you, you can take the couch." She purposely forgot that they'd shared a bed before. Details. "I have pretty irregular sleeping hours so I'll probably wake you up at insane hours of the night. Sorry, can't be helped."

"Great."

So now she had monotone Sasuke. Whatever. "My study is down that really short hallway." It didn't really count as a hallway seeing as it was about two meters long, but whatever. "Don't ever go in there. That's where I keep all my hospital paperwork and other such private things. I'll seriously cut off your balls and string them on a kite if I catch you in there."

Sasuke smirked. But remained silent.

"My bedroom is next to it. The ensuite is the only bathroom so I suppose we'll have to share." The thought irked her to no end, but she supposed they'd done it before and survived easily enough. She had all her stuff here anyway. And this place was bigger. It was Sasuke's turn to be the one out of place. "Kitchen is there, as you can see. I don't care what you eat. I usually eat out anyway, but I suppose I'll have to stock up seeing as you can't really go too many places."

Sasuke scowled as he sat down. "Why don't you change the study into a bedroom for six months?"

Sakura almost lost it. Kami, he was thick! "_Because_ I need a space for my work stuff! And don't forget this is my home! I'm the one that took you in!"

"I didn't want to be _'taken in._' You say it like I'm some stray dog. I'll be more than happy to leave at any time."

Sakura put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "You know you can't leave and I didn't have any more choice in the matter than you did. So just deal with it."

"Whatever. I don't care."

If he said that stupid line one more time she was seriously going to kick his ass out that window! "Look, Sasuke, I propose we just try and get along. You don't want to be here and I don't want you to be here, but for now there's nothing we can do. Let's just try to make this work somewhat, okay?"

Kami, she sounded like some neglected, nagging old wife. Ew.

"Fine."

But as soon as he said the word she knew it wasn't going to work.

---

"No freaking way!"

Sakura smiled sadly. That seemed to be a common reaction. "Yes freaking way! How bad is this?"

Ino smiled mischievously. "Well, actually, Sakura, it isn't as bad as you think! How lucky are you! You get to share a tiny little apartment with none other than Sasuke Uchiha!"

Sakura groaned. "That's why it's so bad! It's Sasuke! Talking to him is like talking to a dead dog on the side of the road, minus the smell!"

Ino waved her hand dismissively. "Sure, maybe his social skills are a bit lacking, but he's _hot_! Name one girl who wouldn't kill to wake up to that in the morning, besides Hinata, but I won't start on her taste in men."

"I would love to throw him in with some fan girl, but I can't! There's no way they'd be able to handle his power and he'd probably strangle them for trying to jump him all the time."

Ino grinned. "Oh, I'm sure you just _hate_ having him in your apartment, Sakura."

Sakura narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What's that supposed to mean, Pig?"

"Oh, nothing! Now take me to him. I haven't seen him since he left. If we were still competing over him, you'd definitely have won by now."

Sakura snorted as they got up, left money for the bill and started walking. "Yeah, especially since he kissed me." She said under her breath, but Ino heard.

And gasped.

"He _kissed_ you! Wow, Forehead! You're further along than I thought! So is he sleeping in your bed?"

_Damn._

"No way. He's on the couch and he's staying on the couch." Not that they hadn't shared a bed before, but she didn't feel the need to point that out or think on it further.

Ino groaned. "Kami, Forehead, you're so frigid! No wonder you've never had sex!"

Sakura put her hand over Ino's big mouth. "Shut it, Pig! You just have to say that loud enough for the whole damn street to hear!"

Ino pushed Sakura's hand off her mouth and shrugged. "I'm sure everyone knows anyway. It's not my fault you're frigid."

"Would you stop saying that? I'm not!"

"Then explain why you never seem to get attracted to guys!"

"Just because your libido is through the roof doesn't mean mine has to be." Though it sure got pretty close when Sasuke had kissed her in the forest.

_Oh Kami, don't think about that!_

Ino merely raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Sakura sighed. "I don't have to prove anything to you, Pig."

"Sure you don't. You could just be a lesbian, after all. Not unusual when it comes to kunoichi, especially seeing as you have that particularly buxom sensei…" She trailed of suggestively as Sakura gasped in indignation.

"You _Pig_! I am _so_ attracted to guys!" She said sounding like a thirteen-year-old. "I happen to think Neji is very handsome and attractive."

Ino snorted. "Yeah, talking about frigid…"

Sakura slapped Ino playfully on the shoulder. "That's not fair! How do _you_ know, hm?"

Ino shrugged. "Someone with my sexual experience would know, Forehead. You can tell by their fighting style. Neji is always reserved and precise when he fights. He doesn't beat around the bush; he is calm and hits exactly where it hurts the most. Boring to watch, boring in bed. Shika is lazy. No further comment necessary." She giggled before she shuddered. "Ew, I'd hate to think of Naruto like that! Poor Hinata…or maybe lucky Hinata. Don't know."

Sakura gasped again. Sometimes her friend was so…open! "EW! Don't even go there! And I don't think they've had sex yet!" She paused. "Naruto's too much of a knucklehead and Hinata would probably faint at the sight of…some other parts of him."

Ino burst out laughing. "Yeah, I can just imagine! What a blow to the ego!" She paused thoughtfully. "You know, I'd love to see Sasuke fight. But if he's as vicious and lethal as they say…well…I wouldn't mind sinking my claws into _that_!"

Sakura blushed and tried to focus on anything other than that disturbingly attractive mental picture. "I can't believe you just said that! What about Shikamaru? And you don't even know what Sasuke looks like now!"

"Please! He knows all about my sexual imaginations! He's too lazy to care! Besides, he should consider himself lucky that he's the one I perform it all on. And if Sasuke looks any as good as he did when we were twelve then I rest my case."

He was better. She of all people would know. "Okay, ew! Too much information! I do not need to know about your sex life with Shikamaru!"

Ino shrugged. "Could do you some good. You know, to know how _normal_ people have relationships. But then again, you've never really _had_ a relationship!"

Sakura looked away, embarrassed. "I've always been to busy."

"Sure, whatever you say, Forehead. How about you try someone close to home? Literally."

Sakura knew what she was implying and shook her head. "No way. Sasuke doesn't do relationships and I'm not interested in having one like that with him. Just a friend, or as friendly as you can get with Sasuke without ripping his head off."

"Or kissing him. Which you've already done, so why not continue? See where it goes."

"Because I _know _where it's going to go! Heartbreak! Not interested."

Ino looked at her seriously. "But you still love him, don't you."

There was no point in denying that. "Well, yeah, but that hardly matters."

"And he must feel something towards you if he kissed you."

Twice. But Ino didn't need to know that. "Whatever was there is gone and I have no intention to bring it back."

Ino shrugged as Sakura opened her door, revealing a sullen Sasuke sitting on her couch, flipping through TV channels. Ino raised one eyebrow and turned to Sakura, whispering "I was wrong. He's even better! What's wrong with you, Forehead?"

Sasuke looked up at her with a bored expression. "Why are _you_ here?"

"I see you're as rude as ever. No surprise there. I just came over to see if Sakura was actually telling the truth about you living here."

Sakura glared at Ino before she glared at Sasuke. "You know, this _is_ my apartment! I _am_ allowed to invite friends over! Just because _you_ don't have any…"

Sasuke returned his attention to the TV, not even bothering to acknowledge her presence. Big surprise there.

"Well, Sakura, I see he's as responsive as ever. I'm off." She said as she turned for the door and walked out. Sakura followed her.

"What do you mean you're off? You just got here!"

"I only wanted to see Sasuke. Damn, Forehead, you're crazy for not wanting to kiss him again! I can't believe your luck! If he was in my house for six months I'd waste no time getting him into my bed."

Sakura didn't see the point in scolding her friend further (because it was completely pointless) and sighed instead. "I hope you realize you're leaving me with nothing to do this afternoon."

Ino winked. "On the contrary, Forehead. I'm leaving you with _plenty_ to do this afternoon!" She said before she walked off down the street.

Sakura groaned and turned to go back inside.

---

Sasuke smirked as he heard the girl's conversation outside. They probably had no idea he could hear them. His hearing had become quite refined since training with Sound ninja for so long.

Sakura walked in a slammed the door behind her. She was angry. Again. Actually, he didn't think she'd stopped being angry. He'd only moved in that morning. This was going well.

Sakura looked at him and then looked away just as quickly, wincing.

_What the hell?_

Rubbing her head, she walked towards the kitchen. "Are you hungry?" She asked him. Her tone wasn't harsh to his surprise.

"No."

She turned to him and sighed, leaning on the bench with her hands. "Look, I'm sorry if I've been really testy. It's just…hard adjusting to someone living in this apartment with me when it's just been me for so long."

And especially with him. It went unspoken but he knew it was in there. Not that he couldn't blame her for thinking that after what he'd said to her. He was surprised _she_ was apologizing to _him_ for anything in the first place.

Part of him wanted to say "Whatever. I don't care" but he found he couldn't. It'd just hurt her further. He found he didn't want to do that anymore. At least not now anyway. "I understand." He said. Well, he did. She'd stayed in his room for about two weeks in Sound, but that had been his choice.

Sakura smiled and it was like the sun coming out behind the clouds. "Oh…um…thank you."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he regarded her. "For what?"

Sakura shrugged. "For not saying "Whatever. I don't care." I think I would've had to kick your ass out of the door if you said that."

Sasuke smirked in amusement. That wouldn't have been good for him, thanks to the damn sensor he had on his ankle. It was barely noticeable, but highly annoying. It was activated to the first level now, which meant that if he left the house Tsunade would be alerted immediately and come do Kami-knows-what to his ass. Second level was if he left the village. That was worse seeing as Tsunade would just activate the poison. Sure, he could probably get rid of it, but what was the point? Where did he have to go in the village anyway? Who did he have to see?

"So are you sure you don't want anything to eat?" Sakura asked cheerfully. She was wholly unsettling when she was like this, but it was probably better than the angry Sakura. She was kind of dangerous like that.

"I've already eaten." And now he was bored. There was nothing to do. All he did in Sound was train, seeing as Orochimaru had taken care of running the compound. He didn't even know why he continued to train or attempt to become more powerful. The last person who had been even close to him had been Orochimaru and he'd killed him. But Naruto seemed vicious to say the least. He'd been surprised when he'd seen Naruto fight. Sure, he already figured he'd be insanely powerful judging by how fast he'd progressed when he was a genin, but he'd looked unstoppable when he was fighting those Sound nin, tearing through them like they were mere toys. He was so fast they hadn't seen him coming until he was right in front of them with his fist through their stomach.

That could be interesting.

"Sakura."

She looked up at him, surprised he was actually instigating contact. Whatever. "Am I allowed to train?"

She walked over to the couch and motioned for him to move over. He did. She sat down. "Um…I'm not sure. Tsunade never really said anything about it, but I suppose I should check with her before I let you. Who would you train with?"

"Naruto."

Sakura giggled. "Oh, he'd love that! You are his number one rival, after all!"

"I suppose." He said, uncomfortable. It was like they were having a normal conversation. It was weird. "Can you ask?" He hated asking for favors, but he didn't really have a choice at the moment. Thankfully Sakura didn't point it out.

"Yeah, sure, but not tonight. Naruto's on a mission I think." Just as the words had left her mouth there was a knock on the door.

Sakura got up and opened the door. "Hinata!"

---

Sakura looked at Hinata in surprise. She was probably the last person she expected here.

She smiled softly. "Sorry to intrude, Sakura."

"No, no! You have no idea how glad I am that you're here!"

Hinata looked past Sakura and at Sasuke in surprise. "Oh, I see you have company."

Sakura rolled her eyes and ushered Hinata inside. "Permanent company. He's under house arrest for six months and he's serving it here. Don't mind him. He's so quiet you'll barely notice he's here." But his presence was enough to alert of you that very fact. Well, that's how it was with her anyway. "So, what brings you here?"

Though Sakura and Hinata were good friends, Hinata usually didn't hang around with Sakura by herself. Either Naruto or any of the other girls were there.

"Well…um…it's about Naruto."

Sakura forced herself not to react. Hinata was a very understanding person. She understood the relationship between Sakura and Naruto and how important it was. Sakura was sure she must have struggled with it now and then, though. It wasn't often one's boyfriend had such a close relationship with another girl, even if it wasn't and never had been of the romantic nature. "Well, let's go into my room, shall we?" There was no way she was having any discussion about Naruto and Hinata in front of Sasuke. Hinata may not be unbearably shy anymore, but she was still a very private person.

Once they'd entered Sakura's room, Hinata's composure broke and tears welled up in her large, pale eyes. Sakura was immediately worried. "What is it, Hinata?"

Hinata shut her eyes. "Naruto was supposed to return from his mission two hours ago, but he hasn't. I know there aren't many ninja who can take him down and I know that any number of things can go wrong on a mission, but I can't help but worry about him. You know Naruto more than anyone, Sakura. You know how he rushes head-first into a battle without thinking, even if he's way in over his head."

Sakura nodded. She understood. "I can't tell you everything's going to be alright, Hinata, because I don't know. Anything could go wrong, but I will wait with you if you want."

Hinata nodded her head and sat down on the bed with Sakura. She was a very high-class young woman. Very proper. That she and Naruto would be so perfect for each other was absolutely insane, but it worked. She didn't doubt that a marriage proposal was around the corner, if Naruto had his head screwed on straight. He was probably to hyperactive to even consider it. Sakura would probably have to hint at it, like she had hinted about Hinata in the first place.

They'd been training by the river one time and Hinata had been swimming with her team mates. Well, Kiba and Akamaru anyway. Shino just stood by the shore and watched. Hinata had been in a one-piece bathing suit and had looked gorgeous. Naruto had been distracted the whole training session and Sakura figured out why. She'd asked Naruto about it and he'd denied it adamantly until she'd hinted that Hinata had had a crush on him for years. It went on from there. They had been sixteen at the time. They'd been together for two years. Many ninja became married at this age, knowing that they had a greater chance of dying young.

Hinata smiled. "So how are you dealing with Sasuke's presence?"

Sakura smiled sadly. "It's hard."

"I can only imagine. You still love him, don't you?"

Was it really that obvious? "Um…well…yeah, I suppose I do. That makes it even harder. And it hasn't even been a full day yet. Naruto doesn't know about it, so I'm interested to see how he'll react."

Hinata giggled. "Well, he won't be happy. You should have seen him when he found out what Sasuke had said to you. He was absolutely livid. It took me quite a while to calm him down and convince him not to tear Sasuke's head off. Mind you, I was quite angry myself. The reason I stopped him was because I was afraid Sasuke would tear _his_ head off." She giggled again. "But there's no stopping Naruto when he wants something! He marched right up to his cell and gave him a piece of his mind. I don't think he's seen Sasuke since the battle. It's been four days. He's still angry. Maybe that's why the Hokage sent him to search for the rest of the Sound nin who ran away. He needed to let out all that anger."

Sakura smiled. "That sounds like Naruto, alright."

Hinata looked at Sakura with a small smile. "We're lucky to have someone like him in our lives."

"Some more than others. You have no idea how much he loves you, Hinata." Sakura said, knowing Hinata needed a reminder. Sure, Naruto was never one to forego affection, but sometimes he got so caught up in everything he forgot.

Hinata smiled. "I know, but sometimes it's easy to forget. When he went off to look for you without telling me, I…I thought that he didn't care about me anymore. Or at least that he cared for you more. I understand how things are between you…how much you've gone through, but I couldn't help it. And when I saw him return with Sasuke…I couldn't help but be happy, because I thought that Sasuke would distract you from Naruto because I know how you are with Sasuke. And I felt so bad for thinking that way, but I couldn't help it." A tear trickled down Hinata's face. "And when Naruto told me what Sasuke had said to you I felt _so _horrible because I wanted Sasuke to be with you so I could have Naruto all to myself. And I'm so sorry for being so selfish! I know what Sasuke did to you, Sakura. I saw. And I saw how devastated you were when Naruto left too. So that was why I understood that you two need each other as much as, if not more than, I need him, but I can't help but get jealous of his devotion to you. And I just hope you can forgive me." Tears were streaming down Hinata's face in earnest now as she struggled to wipe them away.

Sakura said nothing as she hugged Hinata tightly. She understood, alright. Sakura didn't know if she'd be able to handle it if she were in Hinata's position. Hinata had more patience than anyone she knew. "Its okay, Hinata. I forgive you, though there's nothing to be forgiven. If I didn't forgive you Naruto would be so angry he wouldn't talk to me for weeks!"

Hinata laughed in her tears. "Oh, I highly doubt that, Sakura. I don't think Naruto could ever get angry at you."

"You'd be surprised. You just don't think so because he's never gotten angry at _you_. I don't think anyone could get angry at you. Not when you're so sweet and kind and understanding and compassionate. Naruto's so lucky he has you and he knows it. He just forgets sometimes when he's caught up in all this other ninja crap. But he loves you. He loves you in a way he could never love me."

Hinata pulled back from Sakura's embrace and wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Sakura. You are a very good friend, both to Naruto and me. And you do something I can never do."

"What's that?"

"Get angry at Naruto."

Sakura laughed along with Hinata. "You're right about that! That boy makes me so angry sometimes I get close to kicking him all the way to the next country!"

"Sometimes he deserves it."

"Probably, but we forgive him anyway because most of the time he doesn't even realize he's done anything wrong."

Hinata nodded and changed the subject. "So tell me, Sakura, how are you really dealing with Sasuke being here?"

Sakura sighed and flopped back on her double bed. "All my feelings contradict themselves. I want to kiss him and kill him at the same time and then I want to kill myself for wanting to kiss him." It was good to talk to Hinata about this. Ino just told Sakura to jump him and Naruto just got really, really angry.

Hinata shook her head and lay back on the bed beside Sakura. "You two must have the strangest relationship I've ever heard of. You're both in love with each other but you refuse to admit it to yourselves and fight it."

"So Naruto told you about that too?"

"Yes."

"Well, I don't think Sasuke loves me."

"But he kissed you. Twice."

Sakura laughed. "Is there anything Naruto doesn't tell you?"

Hinata giggled. "Not really. He isn't exactly a private person."

"Damn straight. You have no idea how much he tells me about your relationship! Sometimes it's hours before I can get him to stop!"

Hinata giggled. "Don't try to change the subject. This isn't about Naruto, it's about you and Sasuke."

Sakura groaned. "Well, yeah, he kissed me, but it didn't mean anything." But even as Sakura said it, she knew it was a lie.

So did Hinata. "I don't believe that. I believe he still loves you. And I can usually read people quite well. Neji also told me his suspicions on the matter. There's not much you can hide from him. Even Sasuke couldn't escape his intuitiveness. He's never wrong."

Sakura's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Neji?"

Hinata giggled. "Yes, and he was quite upset about it too. Honestly, I haven't seen him that upset about anything for a long time. You know Neji, even when he is upset you can't tell, but it was plain as day this time. He seems to be quite distracted lately, Sakura, and I have a feeling it's because of you."

Sakura looked at Hinata in surprise. "No way! Neji! And _me_? He…he couldn't! It's Neji!"

Hinata laughed at Sakura's surprise. "He may not be like normal guys, but he is a guy. I do not find it particularly strange."

Sakura looked back up at the ceiling as her mind whirled. Now that she really thought about it, Neji didn't pay nearly as much attention to other girls as he did to her. He hardly gave them the time of day, yet when he saw her he always made a point to talk to her and then the other day he'd offered to walk her to the Hokage's office…

But she'd always thought it was because she was more of an established shinobi than the other girls her age and he respected her. Nothing else. But obviously Hinata thought it was something else.

_Could he really be interested in _me

**Why not?**

Indeed, why not?

"Are you _sure_?"

Hinata continued to giggle at Sakura's reaction. "Positive."

Now _that _was something to think about.

---

A number of unwelcome emotions had gone through Sasuke as he listened to the conversation between Hinata and Sakura, the primary ones being shock, regret, surprise, and, most prominently, anger.

Shock at the depth of Naruto and Hinata's relationship.

Regret that he had caused Sakura so much pain, both then and now. Apparently he'd cut her more deeply than he'd thought.

Surprise that Sakura stilled loved him. He really shouldn't be, but he'd figured she'd gotten over him when she said she didn't care if he left. He hadn't really allowed himself to think further on the matter.

And anger, that Sakura meant so to Neji. And anger that he didn't know how much Neji meant to Sakura. And anger that she'd sounded so flustered when Hinata hinted at it. And anger because it meant so much to him. It shouldn't, but it did.

Why?

Because Hinata was right. He still loved her.

_Damnit._

It didn't mean he had to act on it though. It seemed as though Sakura had no intention of acting on her feelings for him.

_All I have to do is keep her away from Neji._

But then again, he couldn't do that. It was wrong to keep Sakura from having any other relationships just because he was in love with her. He'd done it with that worthless ninja Omri. Still, if that ninja showed his face around here anytime soon, Sasuke would still kill him for kissing Sakura.

Sakura came out of the room with Hinata. She looked a little dazed as she walked to the fridge and started getting food out. Hinata sat on one of the bench stools and smiled knowingly at Sakura before she turned to Sasuke.

"Sorry for not greeting you earlier, Sasuke-san. I was slightly distracted."

"I understand." Little did she know how much after hearing their conversation.

Hinata smiled at him then turned to Sakura who was pouring water into her cereal. Hinata giggled. "I thought milk went in cereal, Sakura."

Sakura snapped out of her daze and spilt the water all over the counter. "Crap!" She exclaimed before she hurried to clean it up.

Sasuke would have been amused if he weren't so angry. Could Hinata's little revelation about Neji really have made her so distracted?

His thoughts were interrupted as someone knocked on the door urgently and didn't stop until Hinata opened it.

It was Naruto.

Upon seeing Hinata, Naruto threw his arms around Hinata and even though he was sweaty and dirty, Hinata hugged him back just as fervently.

"Hinata-chan! We just got back from our mission and I went straight home and you weren't there! I was so worried! I looked everywhere before Neji suggested we check Sakura's house."

Sasuke eye's narrowed dangerously. Neji?

Neji stepped past Naruto and drew Hinata into a brief hug. That came as a surprise to Sasuke. The last he heard Neji had tried to kill Hinata at the chunin exams. Apparently that rift in their relationship had long been mended.

Hinata smiled up at him. "Hello, brother."

Neji smiled back softly. "I knew you would be safe, but Naruto could not be consoled so I thought it best I accompany him before he did something stupid. Besides, I wanted to check up on Sakura." He looked over to where Sakura was standing with a wet dishcloth, openmouthed.

She shut her mouth and blushed in embarrassment. "Th-thank you."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Sakura never stuttered.

Neji's smile merely broadened as Naruto ran over to Sakura and hugged her. It seemed as though everyone had forgotten he was there in their little reunion. Hinata was still smiling at Naruto; Naruto was talking to Sakura, Sakura was glancing at Neji, who was smiling at her. Sasuke clenched his jaw to suppress his anger at Neji.

Finally, after hugging Sakura and Hinata at least a dozen more times, Naruto noticed Sasuke sitting on the couch.

"What's that bastard doing here?"

"Naruto, language!" Hinata scolded as Sakura shrugged.

"He's living here." She said casually.

Both Naruto and Neji gaped at her. "He's _what_?" They said simultaneously.

Sasuke smirked. If there was one good thing about this arrangement, it was their reaction to it.

Neji stared hardly at Sasuke as Naruto sputtered. "But…but _why_?"

"He's under house arrest. Tsunade put him here. You have a problem with it, take it up with her. I already tried and it didn't work so good luck."

Naruto glared at Sasuke as he walked over to him, standing in front of him, pointing accusingly. "I swear, bastard, if you do anything to hurt her…"

"You'll what? Kill me? The Hokage wouldn't be too pleased. Hurt me? Well, you could try, but I don't think you'd get very far." He smirked as Naruto lunged for him, but Neji appeared out of no where to restrain him.

Neji looked at Sasuke coldly. "No one can restrain Naruto for long, so watch your words, Uchiha. My threat coincides with Naruto's. I don't think you could take on two of us so easily."

Sasuke glared at him. "I have nothing to say to you, Hyuuga."

Before Neji could say anything further, Sakura appeared between them. "Naruto, calm down. Stop being such an idiot." She looked at Neji. "Thank you for your concern." She looked at Sasuke. "I have nothing to say to you because you won't listen anyway."

He said nothing and looked away.

"Do you need me to stay with you, Sakura?" Naruto whispered, which was as loud as a normal talking voice.

Sakura shook her head as Neji walked back over to the counter and stood next to Hinata. "I'll be fine, Naruto. I can take care of myself. Hinata needs you more than I do, Naruto. She was really worried about you."

Naruto nodded and walked over to Hinata. He kissed her, making her blush. "You ready to go?" He said in a low, intimate voice, which was totally uncharacteristic. Then he grinned his stupid dobe grin. "Coz' I dunno about you, but I need a shower!"

Hinata giggled. "Yes, you do, but what about Sakura?"

"She said she'll be fine."

Hinata shot a grateful look at Sakura who smiled in return. Neji followed the subtle interaction between the two and turned to Naruto and Hinata. "If it makes you two feel better, I can stay with her for a bit. I have already cleaned up."

Both Naruto and Hinata looked grateful while Sasuke felt malice.

"Thank you, Neji." Hinata said before she reached up and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Neji smiled in return.

"Bye, Sakura!" Naruto all but yelled as he walked to the door. "Remember, if Sasuke is a bastard, just tell me and I'll kick his ass for you, okay?"

Sakura laughed as they walked out the door, Hinata scolding him for his language yet again. That was a lost cause.

She turned to Neji, completely ignoring him, and smiled. "Thank you for offering to stay, but I will be fine, really."

Sasuke felt the urge to growl. Why did everyone think she needed protection from him?

_Because I hurt her so badly before. Because I seem to be her biggest weakness._

At least she was telling Neji to get lost. That made him feel somewhat better.

But Neji didn't give up. "If you would not like me to stay, perhaps I can convince you to come and get some dinner with me."

Sakura blushed. He supposed girls would find Neji attractive. He was all grace and charm and manners and good looks. "Um…okay. I'd like that." Apparently she forgot she'd just gone out to eat with Ino less than an hour ago. "Just give me time to shower and change."

Neji nodded. "Certainly." He watched Sakura hurry off to her room and then turned his attention to Sasuke, crossing his arms.

Sasuke continued to look at the TV for a few moments before speaking. "Is there something you want to say to me, Hyuuga, or are you just trying to intimidate me?"

"There are a number of things I would like to say to you, Uchiha, but I am not sure how to say them civilly."

"Well, you better hurry before Sakura gets back because I'm sure it's about her."

"Don't hurt her."

Sasuke smirked. "I don't think I could even if I wanted to. She's protected herself well."

"You're wrong. You could hurt her even worse than you ever have before, you just don't know it. I can see the vulnerability in her eyes when she looks at you. She loves you."

Sasuke took pleasure from the way he ground out those last three words, like it was painful for him to say it. No doubt he'd come with Naruto to Sakura's house just to found out that very fact.

"I know."

"And you love her, do you not?"

Sasuke didn't look at him. There was no need to. "Your point being…?"

"You don't deny it?"

Now Sasuke did look at him. "Would there be any point?"

"No."

"There you go. Are you satisfied now?"

"No. What are your intentions with her?"

"I have none. Same as her."

"Does she know you love her?"

Sasuke thought back to her conversation with Hinata. "Perhaps, but that knowledge has not changed her mind on the matter."

Neji was relieved. Sasuke could tell. This meant he could make a move on her. The thought irked Sasuke to no end.

"But I have no doubt that if I wanted something to happen, it would."

Neji narrowed his eyes almost imperceptibly. "I know."

"So you best make your move while I don't."

Neji raised an eyebrow. "You treat this as a game?"

"Don't you?"

They studied each other for a few moments before Sakura came out, smiling. Sasuke's breath hitched at the sight of her. She was wearing a tight-fitting black dress with long sleeves. It went mid-thigh, revealing those shapely legs of hers, emphasized further by four-inch heels. The black brought out her pink hair. She looked stunning.

One look at Neji revealed he had a similar reaction. Sasuke clenched his jaw and focused on the TV screen again, paying absolutely no attention to what was on it.

"You look beautiful."

Sakura probably blushed at Neji's compliment. She blushed at pretty much everything he said.

"Thank you. I figured you'd take me somewhere nice, knowing you, so I took the opportunity to dress up a bit. I never really get the chance."

"Well, then I am honored to present such an opportunity and honored to take you out."

"Thank you." She said as she walked up to him. He held out his arm and she took it as they walked out the door.

---

Sakura couldn't believe _she_ was on a _date_ with _Neji Hyuuga_! Sure, he hadn't actually said it was an official date, but he had taken her to the fanciest restaurant in town and treated the occasion as if it was. And after what Hinata had told her, his interest in her was slowly becoming more obvious. She was incredibly flattered.

He was so _handsome_! Wait until she told Ino-pig!

Neji had conversed with her on his and Naruto's mission in great detail, making her laugh at Naruto's shenanigans. He asked her about her hospital work and how her training was going, displaying great interest in her answers.

It was a refreshing change from the ever-silent, ever-uninterested Sasuke Uchiha.

"Thank you for taking me out, Neji. I needed it."

He smiled softly. "I know, but that is not the only reason I did it." She waited for him to continue. "I don't know if you've noticed, Sakura, but I have become quite interested in you as of late."

Sakura blushed a looked down. "Well, I didn't really until Hinata pointed it out to me tonight."

Neji laughed softly. The sound was musical. "She did, did she?"

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Yes."

"Well, I don't mind seeing as it is true."

Sakura's grin broadened. "Is it just?"

He smiled back. "It is indeed. I decided that I could wait no longer and would approach you about it tonight, but I almost changed my mind when I found out that Sasuke is living with you."

Sakura almost scowled. Stupid Sasuke had to ruin everything. "Please, don't worry about him."

Neji raised an eyebrow. "I shouldn't?"

"I may still be in love with him, sort of, but I am slowly forgetting about it." That was kind of a lie, but she didn't want to lose any chance she had with Neji because of him.

"I know how it is between you two, but I wanted to ask you about it. What you're planning to do about it. You do not have to tell me if you do not wish."

Oh, but she did. "There was sort of something between us at Sound and on the way back, but when we came into Konoha, he made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with me at all, in any way, and I've accepted that, seen the wisdom in it, and moved on. Well, I'm trying to anyway. The fact that he has to live with me for six months doesn't make it any easier, but I'll get past it."

Neji nodded. "I am willing to try it, Sakura, but I do not just want to be a means to an end. Do you understand?"

Sakura nodded. She did alright. "Yes. Though I have not really given myself the time to…I don't know, develop an interest in you because of Sasuke, I cannot deny the fact that I admire you greatly and that…well…that I find myself very attracted to you."

Neji smiled. "Then can I see you tomorrow?"

Excitement bubbled up in Sakura's chest, but there was still a shadow over it. Sasuke. "I would like that, but I have an extra long shift at the hospital tomorrow so I don't know if you can. Come to think of it, I have extra long shifts for the rest of the week, but my Sunday is always free. And if this is going anywhere, I will make sure to make time for it in the future, but it cannot be helped this week."

Neji nodded in understanding. "It is fine. Your work at the hospital is very important to you, I know. I admire that about you, among other things."

Sakura blushed at his compliment. Unlike most people she knew, he didn't worry about her long working hours. He knew she could take care of herself and she respected him for that. She could get used to this. "Thank you."

"My pleasure. If you have a long shift tomorrow, I think it best I return you home now."

Come to think of it, she was really tired. It had been a trying day. "Sounds good."

Sakura waited outside as Neji paid the bill. He smiled at her as he joined her. He transported them back to Sakura's front door step.

"Whoa."

"Sorry, I thought it best we get back sooner."

Sakura smiled. "That's okay." Except it reminded her how Sasuke always did that without warning when they were in Sound.

Neji suddenly grew serious as he looked at Sakura. "I want you to know that I'm willing to take this as slow as you need, and if you find you can't do it, do not feel obliged to continue it to spare me pain. I have thought long and hard about this and I am prepared for it."

Sakura nodded. "I understand. Thank you for being so considerate."

He smiled. "Again, it's always a pleasure when it comes to you, Sakura." He gently put a hand on the side of her face as he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.

Sakura's heartbeat quickened.

_Oh…_

When he pulled back the atmosphere between them was charged.

Sakura touched his face lightly, not being able to resist the temptation. His face was just so…perfect. She wanted to know if it felt as perfect.

It did.

Neji closed his eyes and removed her hand gently. "If you continue to do that I might just kiss you and I don't think you're ready for it."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Oh, okay. Goodnight."

"I will see you later." He promised as he turned and walked away.

Sakura watched him disappear and then walked inside, shutting the door behind her and leaning on it, trying to sort out her muddled mind.

---

Apparently Sakura forgot he was waiting in on the couch as she leaned back against the door and shut her eyes. One hand fluttered up to her cheek and then down again.

Sasuke had almost jumped up and slammed the door open when Neji had kissed her on the cheek. Once he'd heard they'd arrived he'd used his Sharingan to see through the door and watched their conversation. He almost wished he hadn't after seeing that. Now he was just angry. Really angry.

And then Sakura had put her hand on his face. A sign of affection, no doubt. It was like his insides were tearing themselves apart at that very moment. He felt like walking up to her and kissing her, just to show he could do it so much better.

She finally opened her eyes and noticed him there and blushed. "Oh…um…hi."

"Hi."

Without another word she rushed into her bedroom and shut the door.

Sasuke shut his eyes and a pillow next to him exploded into feathers.

_Damn._

He used the Sharingan to make the mess disappear, transporting them to some random location. This always happened when he couldn't control his anger. Usually he could control it perfectly, but when it came to Sakura…

_Damn._

Well, maybe he couldn't kiss her or take her out to dinner, but he could remind her a bit, couldn't he? What was the harm in that?

He walked into her room without knocking to find her sitting on her bed in a daze. She noticed him and exploded.

"Sasuke! What the hell! You can't just barge in here at any time! What if I was getting changed?"

Then he'd have a hard-on, no doubt. "Whatever. I need to have a shower."

"Couldn't you have one some other time?"

"No. It's not like you're doing anything."

"Fine! Be quick!"

"Whatever." He said as she walked out of the room.

He took his time in the shower. What was the rush? She'd be angry no matter how long he took. Once out, he towel-dried his hair and wrapped the towel around his waist, smirking. Judging by her reaction to him when she saw him like this in Sound, she wouldn't be thinking about Neji tonight.

He walked past her on the couch as though it was completely normal for him to be in a towel and nothing else.

"U-um…Sasuke?"

He turned to her and her eyes widened. He resisted the urge to smirk. "What?"

"What are you doing?" She tried to keep her eyes on his face, but they kept wandering down to his torso like they had a mind of their own. This time he did smirk, making her blush.

"Getting clothes."

"You could have done that _before _you had a shower!"

He shrugged. "Forgot." He grabbed underwear and a pair of shorts before walking back to the bathroom.

---

Sakura banged her head on a pillow as Sasuke walked back to the bathroom. This was just great. Now she couldn't get that mental of him in nothing but a towel out of her head. So much for thinking about Neji and no one else. It was hard enough before! This would have been _so_ much easier if he wasn't so damn _sexy_!

She looked for her favorite pink feather pillow to hug, but couldn't find it.

_Where the hell did it go?_

Sasuke walked out in shorts and no shirt and gave her a bored look. "You're on my bed."

Sakura pulled the couch back and look behind it. "Have you seen my pink feather pillow?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Your what?"

"My pillow! It was pink and fluffy."

"No. You're on my bed."

Sakura gave up with a sigh and walked to her bedroom, trying to get Sasuke out of her head and failing miserably.


	15. For Whatever and Ever

**A/N: Finally finished! I hope you all enjoy the last chapter of Imagine and thanks again for all the reviews! **

**Fifteen: For Whatever and Ever**

_One week later…_

Sasuke had just started to relax when Naruto barged in the door without knocking.

"Sakura! _SAKURA_!"

"Shut up, dobe. I'm sure the whole street can hear you."

Naruto glared at him. "Is your name Sakura?"

"No, thank Kami."

At that moment Sakura came out of her room, dressed in a little, red dress and black high heels. Naruto gaped at her while Sasuke clenched his jaw. Damn, did she really have to dress like that?

"Sakura?"

She grinned. "I'll tell you later. You seem to be in a hurry to tell me something."

"Oh, right!" He grinned so widely Sasuke was surprised it didn't hurt. "You'll never guess what I did!"

"What?"

"I proposed to Hinata-chan and she said _yes_!"

Sakura's mouth dropped open as Sasuke eyes widened.

_No way! Naruto…engaged! _

Sakura squealed and hugged him tightly. "That is so great, Naruto! I am so happy for you!"

Naruto picked her up and twirled her around. "I know, right! I mean me! A husband! That is so cool! If you hadn't hinted at it I never would have thought about it! I'm so glad you did!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Sakura had suggested it? He would have thought, judging by their close relationship, that she would have been reluctant to see Naruto married because his first priority would be to his wife, not her.

"Oh, Naruto! This is so great!"

Naruto couldn't stop smiling. "I must be the luckiest guy _ever_! I was so nervous! I thought she'd say no! But she grabbed me and kissed me so hard I thought I'd faint and said yes!"

Sakura gaped at him again. Apparently the thought of Hinata instigating a kiss was unheard of. That didn't surprise him. She must have been happy.

"Wow, Naruto! You _are_ the luckiest guy ever!"

"I know! So why are you so dressed up, Sakura?"

Sakura looked down and blushed. "Well, I'm going on a date."

Naruto looked as though a hundred people had just run him over. Then he was angry and glared at Sasuke. "A date?"

Sasuke merely clenched his jaw and glared back. He knew it wasn't with him, obviously, and that fact pissed him off a _lot_, especially since he knew who it probably _was_ with.

"No, idiot, not Sasuke. Neji."

Naruto's mouth dropped open. "_Neji Hyuuga_?"

Sakura grinned and nodded happily. "Uh-huh."

"_Neji Hyuuga_?"

"Yes, idiot! Shut your mouth! You're going to start drooling soon!"

Naruto rubbed his head. "Wow, I never saw that one coming! I didn't even know Neji was interested in girls."

Sakura whacked him over the back of his head. "Of course he is, idiot. Are you saying I'm not good enough to catch his interest?"

He winced and rubbed the back of his head. "No, it's just that I didn't think he was interested in anything other than fighting, but I guess I was wrong."

"Yes, you were."

Naruto grinned. "Well, that's really great, Sakura! He's a _really good guy_." Naruto said as he glared at Sasuke.

Sasuke clenched his teeth and looked away. He didn't need this.

"Shut up, dobe."

Naruto ignored him. "So when did this happen, Sakura?"

"About a week ago, you know when you came to my house looking for Hinata and he stayed behind. He took me to dinner and told me he was interested in a relationship with me and I said I was interested in giving it a try and that's that! He's taken me to lunch a couple of times during the week, but I haven't seen him other than that because I've been so busy."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He hadn't known Sakura had seen Neji during the week. It was…annoying.

"So are you two, like, dating?"

"Um…I don't know. Neji doesn't exactly _date_, Naruto. I don't know what I'd call it. Getting to know each other?"

Naruto pouted. "That sounds so boring! Why shouldn't he date? Hinata-chan dated me and now I'm engaged to her! Does Neji get engaged, or does he do some weird ritual thing instead?"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched dangerously. "I'm sorry, Naruto, did you say something?"

Naruto looked panicked as Sasuke looked on in amusement. "Uh…uh…no, no! Just commenting on the weather!"

Sakura flicked her hair back and smiled. "Good, that's what I thought you said."

There was a knock on the door and Sakura ran to the door to open it. Neji stood on the other side, of course. Sasuke wanted to punch that smile right off his face.

"Neji!"

"Sakura." He said as he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.

"_HEY_! Keep your hands off my Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled as he pointed an accusing finger at Neji.

Neji smirked. "I hardly think she's your Sakura anymore seeing as you're now engaged to my cousin."

Naruto looked back at him blankly. "Oh yeah. I suppose you're right. So she told you about that, huh?"

"Yes, and though I can't say she couldn't get better, she's happy and I'm grateful for that."

"Thanks…_HEY_!"

Sakura giggled as Sasuke smirked. He was such a dobe.

"Neji, that was mean!" Hinata appeared beside Neji at the doorway.

Naruto gaped at her. "Hinata-chan?"

She smiled at Naruto. "When Neji told me he was taking Sakura to dinner he invited me along with you, Naruto."

"If that's okay with you, Sakura." Neji said as he smiled at her.

"That would be perfect!" She turned to Hinata and hugged her. "Congratulations!"

Hinata glowed. "Thank you. I especially wanted to see you, Sakura."

"Oh?"

Hinata nodded. "Hanabi is on an extended mission, so I want you to be my maid of honor."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as Sakura and Naruto gasped. "Wow, Hinata! I'd be honored!"

"Excellent. Now let's go. I believe Neji has reservations and Naruto needs to get changed into something more appropriate."

Naruto looked down at his ninja outfit. "Why?"

_Dobe._

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Because it's a _nice_restaurant, idiot, not Ichiraku."

Naruto's expression fell. "Oh. I thought we were going there."

"Not everyone eats at Ichiraku, idiot. You know, there are other places!"

"Why can't we go to Ichiraku?"

Neji shrugged. "It is fine with me if it is fine with everyone else."

Sakura looked at Hinata. "Well, because Hinata and Naruto are the newly engaged couple, they should choose."

Hinata smiled at Naruto. "If my fiancée wants ramen, he can have ramen."

Naruto jumped in the air and whooped in excitement. "Awesome! Being engaged is great!"

Neji smirked. "Not when you have to help plan the wedding."

"Neji…" Hinata scolded as Naruto looked confused.

"Wedding?"

"Kami, Naruto! You're such an idiot! _Your_ wedding!" Sakura yelled impatiently.

"Oh yeah! Well, if Hinata-chan needs help, I'll give her help!" He looked at Hinata and noticed she was dressed up for the first time. "Wow, Hinata-chan, you look _hot_!"

Hinata blushed and Neji glared. "Watch it, Naruto."

Naruto glared at him and put his arm around Hinata. "She's my fiancée. I can say what I want." They walked out the door and Neji and Sakura exchanged a look before they followed, leaving Sasuke alone in his silence.

They'd talked as if he wasn't there. They barely acknowledge his presence. He couldn't help but feel a stab of loneliness. But it was his fault he'd isolated himself from everyone and he knew that they'd welcome him back with open arms if he allowed them. But he couldn't. He just couldn't.

---

Sasuke felt him drifting off to sleep. His original plan had been to stay awake until Sakura got back, but what was the point? He would just be subject to the happy couples and Sakura's happy face as she smiled at Neji. Why make this harder for himself?

But he would have stayed awake had he known what nightmare would visit him that night.

_Sasuke found himself in a forest, deep and dark. There was a presence. An aura. Sinister. Evil._

_And there was a scream. Panicked. High-pitched. A girl._

"_NO! Please, you don't want to do this!"_

_Sakura. _

_Fear rose in Sasuke's chest before he could suppress it. it wouldn't go away, no matter how hard he tried. Was she dying?_

_He tried to run through the dense foliage in the direction of her screams, but it was like he was running through mud. It was fast enough. He tried to use a jutsu but there was nothing there. He felt weaker and weaker as each second went past._

What is wrong with me?

_Sakura was still screaming. She needed him. He needed her to live. _

"_Sakura!"__He yelled, hoping she'd hear his desperate cry and know he was coming for her. "Sakura, answer me! Please!"_

_But no sound was coming out of his mouth as he continued to move through the imaginary mud. Her screams intensified, each one stabbing his chest like a kunai knife, twisting in the sensitive wound, cutting him deeper and deeper every time. He was losing her._

_He felt a tear trickle down his smooth, pale cheek. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cried. Maybe it was when Itachi had killed clan. _

No, I can't lose her! _He thought in desperation, but he still couldn't seem to move faster._

"_Sasuke!"_

_The sound of her voice screaming his name broke whatever barrier that had surrounded him and he ran towards her voice with inhuman speed, stopping abruptly at the sight that was presented to him when he finally reached her._

_She was on the ground, bleeding profusely from various wounds. Serious wounds. Fatal wounds._

_He was numb._

No…

_It was happening all over again. All over again._

"_Sakura!" He called her name and tried to move over to her, but found himself rooted to the stop. "Sakura!" It was as though she didn't even hear his pain-filled voice. Her jade eyes were fixed on the man standing over her._

_He was tall, his back to Sasuke. He had a black coat on, the hood covering his head._

"_Who are you?" Sasuke demanded._

_The man chuckled, the sound strangely familiar. "I am the one you hate most."_

_Fear paralyzed his vocal chords. It was a couple of seconds before he found his voice. "Itachi." But it couldn't be. He'd killed him._

_The man chuckled again. "Wrong." he stabbed the already bloody katana through Sakura's heart and Sasuke watched, immobile, as the life ebbed out of her._

"_I'll…always…love you…"_

"_SAKURA! NO!" Sasuke tried to leap forward to her, but he still could not move._

_Tears streamed down Sasuke face as he looked at Sakura's lifeless body. Whoever did this was going to pay. _

_Unbelievable anger rose up in his chest as his eyes settled on the man standing over Sakura's bloody corpse. "Show yourself." His voice was icy. Dangerous._

"_As you wish." The man turned around, pulling off his hood._

_Sasuke couldn't breathe. _

"_No…you…who are you?" He breathlessly asked his mirror image._

_A malicious grin appeared on the face Sasuke knew so well. "I am the one who hate most."_

_Sasuke shook his head in denial. "No…no. I would never…" His voice broke as he swallowed his tears. "I would _never_hurt her…_never_..."_

_He chuckled again. "But you just did. You always do. I always do. You killed her."_

_Sasuke gaped at the man identical to him in every way, down to the swirling Sharingan that promised pure power. The man called Sasuke Uchiha. "No…I would never…"_

_He grinned. "Then what is this?" he asked as he nudged her corpse with his foot._

"_I didn't kill her!" Sasuke screamed at himself. _

"_You did. She's gone…forever."_

_Sasuke fell to his knees. "NO!"_

---

Sakura lied awake in bed. She couldn't sleep. And she refused to use sake. Especially not when the object of her frustration was lying on the couch, shirtless.

She felt so guilty going out with Neji when she couldn't stop thinking about Sasuke, but he'd said he'd expected it so she refused to give up yet. Tonight had been fun. They'd sat at Ichiraku for hours while Naruto ate bowel after bowel of ramen and Hinata, Neji, and Sakura talked about the wedding.

But there had been a shadow over the night for her. She kept thinking about Sasuke, about how lonely he must be in the apartment all by himself with nothing to do. She hadn't gotten around to asking Tsunade about training because she'd been absolutely swamped the past week. And now she felt guilty. He hadn't asked her about it once since he'd first queried. But she couldn't have asked him to come with them because Naruto would have just glared at him all night and it seemed as though Neji didn't get along with him well either. It was her fault that he insisted on making everyone angry.

**But you know why he does it. He's protecting himself. **

She knew and her heart ached for him. But she didn't know how to get through to him, not without losing her heart in the process. But she couldn't keep swamping herself in work and training to ignore the problem. It wouldn't go away and Sasuke was her friend. He deserved her time, didn't he?

"_NO!_"

Sakura sat up in a jolt as she heard the yell from the living room.

Sasuke.

Was he having a nightmare?

Sakura winced as a memory that wasn't hers popped in her head. If he was dreaming about something like that, she had to see if he was alright.

She ran out into the other room and stopped by the couch, not touching him in case he lashed out at her. But she wanted to so badly.

"Sasuke? Are you alright? "

He looked up at her, his eyes red and swirling, slowly fading into black. He looked panicked. Scared. It scared her. What could Sasuke be so afraid of that he couldn't hide it?

"Sakura?"

"Yes?"

Without warning he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down hard, wrapping his arms around her as she collapsed against his body.

He held her so tightly she could scarcely breathe. "S-Sasuke?"

He stroked her hair once before pressing her closer. "I thought…I thought I killed you." He voice was low and hoarse. Uncertain. So unlike the Sasuke she knew.

Sakura's heartbeat quickened as her head lay against his bare chest. "Sasuke, I can't breathe."

She put her hands on either side of his face and pushed him back. He was breathing heavily, eyes wide. Had the thought of killing her really made him that scared?

"Are you alright?" She asked nervously.

His breathing steadied as the fear left his eyes. "Um…yeah."

The air between them was charged as their breath mingled. Sakura had to concentrate on breathing. Neji made her feel flustered, but this…

She started to drop her hands from his face, but he caught one with his and held it there as he put his other hand on the side of her face, stroking her cheek once with his thumb, leaving a trail of fire that burned all the way down her chest. She swallowed deeply as he shut his eyes and leaned forward, so their lips were almost touching.

Sakura's heart pounded as her eyes fluttered shut, waiting for the kiss that never came. She opened her eyes as his head dropped and his hand left her face to grasp her upper arm gently.

"I'm sorry." He said, his breath tickling her neck. His head dropped further as he rested his forehead on her shoulder. He inhaled deeply. "I was only dreaming."

---

Sakura leaped from roof top to roof top, wishing her mind was as clear as the crisp air hitting her face as she raced faster and faster. She didn't know where she was going; she just needed to get away, as far away as she could from the man lying on her couch.

_Why? Why, why, why?_

Why couldn't he just get out of her head? Why couldn't he just disappear from her thoughts? She wanted to be _happy_, happy with Neji like Naruto was happy with Hinata. Why must it all evade her because the man she loved didn't want anything to do with her? It wasn't fair!

**When is life ever fair?**

Sakura stopped on top of the Hokage monument. She stood on top of the Fourth's head as she looked over Konoha. Her village. Her home. Home to other shinobi who had normal lives and normal relationships. Not like her.

"Sakura, what are you doing up here?"

Sakura wiped the icy tears off her cheeks and whirled around. "Kakashi-sensei?"

He waved slightly. "Yo."

"What are _you_ doing here?"

He shrugged. "I come here all the time. Isn't it lovely up here at night?"

Sakura laughed half-heartedly. "So this is why you are always so late. You stay up here all night and sleep in late."

His visible eye crinkled at the corner, which meant he was smiling. "No. I get up early every morning. But that doesn't explain why you're here and in your pajamas, no less. What's wrong?"

Sakura sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. There was no hiding from Kakashi-sensei. "It's Sasuke."

"Ah, of course it is. You're still in love with him."

Sakura groaned. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Well, not to most people, but it's understandable so everyone assumes you are, even though you pretend you hate him."

"That's not much better."

"Sorry."

Another tear made its way down her cheek before she wiped it away. "Why me, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Why did Naruto get the Nine-Tailed Fox in him? Why did Sasuke's clan get massacred by his own brother? Who knows? All they can do is live with it the best they can, which is what they do. Sure, Naruto's a little hyperactive, but it's how he deals with it. Sure, Sasuke pushes everyone away, but that's how he protects himself."

Sakura looked away.

"But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Sakura ignored his question. "So what am I supposed to do about it?"

"Live with it."

"I'm _trying_! I'm even dating Neji, sort of, but I _still_ can't get him out of my head!"

"Maybe you can't get him out of your head, Sakura, because you don't want to. You just don't know it."

"But that's stupid! I've been trying everything!"

"Maybe, but will that ever be enough? Maybe your mind wants you to let go, but your heart is holding on despite everything he's done to you."

"My heart can't tell my will what do to."

"It doesn't. It doesn't have to, because you know deep down that you don't want to let go of him just yet. You know that, Sakura."

Sakura looked away again because it was true. "Will it ever change, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Probably not. At least not as long as your heart keeps hanging onto him. And I don't think it'll ever stop doing that."

"So I'm doomed to love Sasuke forever?"

"Well, it depends on how you look at it, but yes, I suppose you are."

Sakura put her face in her hands and groaned. "Great, just great!" She looked up at Kakashi. "How do you know?"

"When Sasuke left you told him you loved him with all your heart and that you'd love him always. Your heart took that as an oath and it will not be broken."

"How do you know about that?"

Kakashi's eye crinkled again. "I know everything, Sakura. Shouldn't you have realized that by now?"

Sakura growled. "Naruto is such a blabber-mouth."

"Well, yes, he is."

"Did you know he's engaged? To Hinata! Isn't that great!"

"Engaged? Well, he should make an interesting husband, but don't try to change the subject. You should learn how to do it first."

Sakura put her hands on her hips. "There's nothing more to say. I said I'd love Sasuke always so now I will and there's nothing I can do about it. I get it."

"But you're wrong. There are a number of things you can do about it."

"I can't stop it and that's the only one I'm interested in. I can't get him to return it, or at least admit he returns it, or admit that it means anything, or do anything about it. I tried once and it blew up in my face. I'm not really interested in doing that again."

"Of course it failed the first time. It's Sasuke. What happened to when at first you don't succeed, try, try again?"

"That's just a load of crap."

"Try saying that to Naruto. He doesn't give up with anything."

Sakura looked away again. "Naruto's different. He's got the Nine-Tailed Fox in him."

"That has nothing to do with it and you know it. He's like that because he's strong. What about you, Sakura? Are you strong?"

Sakura wiped another tear that escaped down her cheek. "I used to think I was, but now I'm not so sure. I don't even know if I want to be anymore."

"Sakura, you can't live your life in fear of a little heart-break. It's like being afraid of going on a mission because you might get hurt or die. Ridiculous if you're a shinobi. Ridiculous if you're in love with somebody."

"But it's Sasuke."

"Exactly."

Sakura sighed. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

"For what?"

"For understanding."

Kakashi's eye crinkled again. "What did I tell you, Sakura? I know everything."

Sakura laughed. "Only because Naruto tells you everything."

"Well, about your personal life, yes."

Sakura hugged him. Kakashi hesitated for a bit, but returned it lightly.

"You're a good girl, Sakura. If anyone deserves to be happy, it's you, and I have no doubt you will be. You just have to keep at it."

"Thank you, sensei."

"You don't have to call me that, you know." He said as he stepped back. "It makes me feel old."

Sakura smiled. "You are old. And I still feel like I can learn things from you."

"I'm not old and I do suppose I know everything."

"Whatever you say, sensei." Sakura said, giggling.

"Now get back to your room before you catch a cold."

---

But she did catch a cold. And she was miserable. Miserable because she felt like crap. Miserable because she couldn't go to work. Miserable because she looked like crap. Miserable because she couldn't do any work at home without getting a pounding headache. Miserable because this meant she was stuck in her tiny little apartment with Sasuke. Miserable because he looked so good. Miserable because he wasn't being completely horrible to her so she couldn't hate him. Miserable because she was miserable.

She blew her nose and threw the tissue into the bin. All she'd been doing all day was lying around in bed and on the couch, watching whatever was on TV. Sasuke either sat on the floor watching whatever she was watching on TV or eating. If this is what he did all day she felt supremely sorry for him. This was her first day being sick and she was utterly bored out of her brains. She wished there was some healing jutsu for viruses, but alas, there wasn't. There was just good old cold medicine.

"Do you want anything, Sakura?"

Tears formed in Sakura's eyes at his question. He'd been like this all day. Helpful and not mean. It gave her a glimpse of what the real Sasuke was like beneath all his protective layers and it made her chest ache out of love for him.

"No. I just want to die."

He smirked as he looked at her from the counter. "Sorry, I don't think a cold will do that."

She groaned and stuffed her face in the pillow. "It feels like it will." She knew there were far worse sicknesses than colds. She _was_ a medic. But she couldn't remember the last time she'd been sick at all, so this felt pretty damn bad.

Sasuke took a tomato out of the fridge and sat on the floor by her feet on the couch, leaning back on it. Sakura's heartbeat quickened. He was sitting so close…

And eating a tomato.

"I can't believe you're eating a tomato like that."

He shrugged and continued to look at the TV. "It's nice."

"You're really weird."

"At least I don't sit on the counter drinking sake out of the bottle."

Sakura was about to get really angry before she realized something important. "Are you _teasing_ me?"

"I suppose you can call it that, though the correct term would be insulting you."

She sat up, causing her head to spin. "Kami, you _are_ teasing me!"

When he didn't answer she lay back down and realized something else important. "Sake!"

Sasuke looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"Sake! Sake will make me feel_so _much better!" She conveniently forgot her vow to never drink sake again.

Sasuke looked back to the TV. "Don't be stupid."

Sakura ignored him and stood up. The room spun but she ignored that too and made her way to the fridge, grabbing a bottle out victoriously. She was about to open the lid when Sasuke appeared in front of her and took the sake from her hand.

"Hey!" She said as she reached for it.

Sasuke scowled at her. "Stop it."

She reached for it again. "I'll stop when you give it back!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"A shinobi always needs to be alert and aware of his surroundings. They're neither when they're drunk."

Sakura snorted and put her hands on her hips. "I have you around. No one's going to be able to hurt me. Now hand it over." She was not in the mood to argue.

"No."

She narrowed her eyes. "This is my house."

"Like I care."

Her anger exploded and her hand slammed down on the counter, causing it to dent noticeably. "I need it."

"No, you don't. You're a medic. You of all people should know the negative affect it has on the body."

"Knowing and caring are completely different things. Now give. It. To. Me." She emphasized, but Sasuke didn't budge.

"No."

"I will use force."

Sasuke smirked at the challenge. "You can try."

She lunged at him, only to have her disappear and reappear behind her. Before she could react he pulled put his arm around the front of her, pinning her arms by her side, before he pulled her back to his chest. She struggled but he paralyzed her with his Sharingan.

"What was that about force?" He whispered in her ear. It would have caused shivers to run down her spine were she not paralyzed.

"Let me go, asshole." Thank Kami he hadn't paralyzed her tongue.

"Sorry, can't." He said before he lifted the sake bottle in his free hand to his lips and took a drink. "Ugh, that stuff is disgusting. How do you drink it?" He asked before it disappeared before her eyes.

"Hey! What did you do with it?" Sakura tried to put anger in her voice, but failed. The sensation of his body pressed up against hers and his voice in her ear was completely unsettling and she could hardly concentrate on a thing.

"Transported it to another location. The middle of the desert to be precise. When you open your fridge you'll notice all the other bottles are gone too."

"Asshole."

He laughed softly in her ear before running his hand down her exposed neck. Sakura could feel her heartbeat quicken and knew Sasuke could as well when his hand paused on her pulse. It remained there for a few heart-wrenching seconds before he released her and she was free to move again.

She twirled around to hit him, but he was already on the couch. "You…"

He looked at her calmly. "And Sakura?"

"_What_?"

"Have a shower. You stink."

---

_Three days later…_

Sakura stumbled into her apartment and flopped down on the couch. It felt _so_good, but she knew she couldn't stay there for long. Neji was taking her out tonight. She'd cancel, but Neji had said it was important. She hadn't seen him for days anyway.

But first she had to wait for Sasuke to get home. He was out training with Naruto. She'd finally gotten around to asking Tsunade about it and Tsunade agreed, figuring it would be good for both of them. The Council hadn't said anything about not training.

Her relationship with Sasuke had been…different lately. He was being…nice. Well, sort of anyway. He wasn't being mean or particularly rude anyway. Sure, he said degrading comments to her when he did actually speak, but she knew he didn't mean them. It was almost like they were teasing each other. Like friends.

And she was more in love with him than ever, which kind of sucked seeing as Neji seemed to be getting kind of serious. She was trying, but nothing was really changing. She hadn't expected to get over Sasuke in a matter of weeks, but surely her relationship with Neji would have sped things up!

And more often then not she recalled her conversation with Kakashi. It seemed as though she still didn't want to let go of him. And if he was right and she never would, was it better just to settle for the next best thing?

The door opened and a beat-up looking Sasuke walked in. There was blood running down the side of his face, visible bruises on the parts of his arms that you could see, and he was limping slightly.

"Are you okay?" She asked him, alarmed.

He shrugged, wincing when the action caused him pain. "I have a high tolerance of pain."

"Naruto did that?"

He smirked. "He's worse off than I am."

"Poor Hinata."

He walked over to the couch and sat down next to her, a couple of inches away. She could feel the heat radiating off his body. She swallowed down the desire that stabbed through her chest.

"He deserved it. I think he was trying to kill me."

Well that didn't surprise Sakura. "Um…is he okay?"

"Yes. You know he heals faster than the average person."

"Because of the Kyuubi."

"Yeah."

"So is he still angry at you?" Sakura asked. He was actually replying to her questions so she was planning on taking full advantage of the rare occurrence.

"I don't know. He asked me to be his best man."

Sakura gasped. "No way! What did you say? No, wait, let me guess. You said "Whatever. I don't care.""

Sasuke smirked, confirming her suspicions. "I need to have a shower."

"I was about to have one, but I think you need it more. Why don't you let me heal those wounds first?"

"I'm fine." Sasuke said as he stood up stiffly.

He was about to walk off, but Sakura stopped him by standing up and putting a hand on his chest. He looked down at her hand then at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Look, I'm a medic. There's no point suffering if you don't have to."

Sasuke stared at her for a moment before answering. "Whatever. I don't care."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Take your shirt off and sit on the couch."

"Are you sure you're not just trying to get me to take my shirt off."

"Please, don't be so modest." She said sarcastically. "Besides, all I have to do is walk out here in the middle of the night to see that. You're not as great as you think you are, Sasuke Uchiha."

But she knew that wasn't true, and judging by the smirk on Sasuke's face, so did he. But he took his shirt off and sat down on the couch.

Sakura sat down next to him, their knees slightly touching. Neither of them moved.

"Okay, where does it hurt?"

"Left shoulder, right hip."

Sakura put her hands on his muscular shoulder and felt it flex at her touch.

_Holy crap!_

**Focus, Sakura!**

_Okay, okay._

"You've torn the muscles in your shoulder. Looks painful."

"It is painful."

Sakura smiled sweetly. "Then it's a good thing you're living with a medic."

"Yeah…"

Sakura rolled her eyes again before she shut them and let her chakra mend the torn muscles. She felt him relax under her hands. He was getting used to her.

"All done. Let me take a look at that gash on the side of your head." She didn't want anything scarring that perfect face of his.

She took Sasuke's jaw in one hand and turned his head towards her. She almost jumped back when she realized how close they were. It was hard to breathe. "Um…I just have to clean the blood up so I can see what's there."

"Okay." Sasuke replied softly. Sakura's heart skipped a beat as she got up and grabbed a damp towel.

_Oh, Kami, this isn't good…_

**You know you love it!**

Yes, she did, which was why it wasn't good.

She sat back down and lightly put her hand on the side of Sasuke's face, turning it towards her. They were far too close and she was aware of every single inch that separated them. His hands remained fisted on his thighs as she dabbed at the wound carefully.

She almost made the gash worse when she felt his fingers gently touch her cheek.

"You take care of everyone else. Who takes care of you?" He asked in a low, rough voice. It was far too sexy for her liking. And he was still touching her cheek.

She made the mistake of looking in his fathomless obsidian eyes. Now she couldn't look away. Her hand paused. "I…I take care of myself."

His other hand came up to enclose her hand that was tending to his wound. He brought it down off his face, but Sakura barely noticed as his eyes continued to captivate hers. "That's not good enough." He whispered softly before leaning forward to close the distance between their lips. Sakura shut her eyes in sweet expectation when a knock sounded on the door.

_Argh! Not now!_

"Sakura?" Sasuke whispered against her lips.

"Mmm?" Was all she could manage. Her eyes were still shut; she was still captured in the moment.

"It's Neji."

He was still too close for her to want to leave. "Yep."

The knocking started up again and Sakura's eyes flew open in annoyance. "Fine!"

She stumbled over to the door, still drunk from Sasuke's proximity, and slammed it open, revealing a stunned Neji.

"Oh! Neji!"

He smiled. "Were you expecting anyone else?"

She blushed. "Uh…no, no! Come in!" She was still far too flustered from what happened with Sasuke, who was still on the couch, smirking.

_GAH! I almost kissed Sasuke! Again! _

**Almost. Next time you'll have to make sure it actually happens.**

_No! I can't! _

**Sure you can.**

_No! I can't!_

"Sakura?" Neji asked.

She realized she was still staring at Sasuke.

_Crap!_

"Oh, yes! Um…I just got back a minute ago so just give me a few minutes to get ready, okay?"

"Certainly."

Sakura practically ran to the bathroom, threw off her clothes and hopped into the shower, barely noticing that it was freezing cold. The icy water did nothing to help clear her head.

_What am I _doing_? I'm supposed to be with Neji! I'm so stupid!_

**You're not stupid, you're in love. It's to be expected.**

Sakura groaned and leaned her forehead against the cool tiles, letting the cold water hammer her back.

_But I don't want to be in love with Sasuke. I want to be in love with Neji._

**You can't tell your heart how to feel, Sakura. The best thing you can do is go along with it. **

_But I don't want to go along with it!_

**I'd believe that if you hadn't almost kissed him just a few minutes ago.**

_Damn!_

**You're mind may be telling you one thing, but you're body is telling you an entirely different thing altogether, and quite frankly, I'm with your body! **

_Shut up!_

Sakura turned off the cold water and dried herself quickly. She chose something sexy, hoping it'd make Sasuke jealous.

**You so want him.**

_Shut up. I'm not talking to you!_

**Yeah, because I'm right!**

_Sorry, not listening!_

Once she'd slipped into the small black dress, she fastened her hair up into a stylish bun and dabbed on a bit of make-up. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she walked back into the living room.

Sasuke was still on the couch, staring at the TV while Neji was leaning on the counter, staring at the ceiling.

_Well, geez, aren't they the conversationalists!_

"Okay, all ready!"

Neji smiled when he looked at her. Though his smile was breath-taking, all Sasuke had to do was look at her to make her pulse rate double.

Neji kissed her on the cheek, quite close to her mouth. She looked at Sasuke just in time to see him look away, jaw clenched.

_Ha._

**Like I said, you so want him!**

_Not listening…_

"You look beautiful, Sakura." Neji whispered in her ear. She blushed, though she should be used to his flattering compliments by now.

"Thank you."

"Let's go, shall we?"

Sakura nodded and shot one more glance at Sasuke before they walked out the door.

---

"You seem distracted, Sakura."

Sakura shook herself to attention. She _was_ distracted. She'd been distracted all night. Normally she'd pass it off for tiredness, but she knew better. It was Sasuke. Big surprise there. All she could think about was how his lips felt on hers. She started reliving their first kiss…and their second, which made her hot all over again. Her desire was getting harder and harder to control. Instead of it disappearing, it seemed to be growing.

"Sorry, just thinking."

Neji smiled in understanding. "I've been thinking a lot myself."

"Oh? What about?"

"I'll tell you on the way to your house."

Sakura grinned. "Then let's leave already, but all means! I've had my fill!"

Neji laughed as he waved for the bill. Once it was paid, they walked outside into the crisp evening air.

Sakura couldn't help but twirl around, letting the cool air lift her skirt. Neji laughed along with her. "Well, Neji, I think I'm going to have to buy more nice dresses if you keep taking me to all these fancy restaurants!" She teased.

"That's precisely what I wanted to talk to you about, Sakura." He said gently.

Sakura put her hands on her hips and pouted. "Oh, am I not dressing classy enough for you?"

Neji laughed softly and shook his head. He approached her and took her hands in his own. Sakura was taken back by his sudden display of affection. He usually kissed her on the cheek when he saw her and left her and sometimes let his hand run down her arm, but he usually kept to himself. She didn't place him as one to publicly show affection through touch. It was more in the things he said and did.

"No, I cannot imagine anyone more beautiful." He said seriously.

Sakura's heart pounded in her chest, but it was because she was nervous. What was he trying to say?

When she didn't reply, he continued. "I've been thinking a lot…about us. And I want to make a proposition."

"Yes?" Sakura asked eagerly, having no idea what he might have in mind.

"I know I am ready to take our relationship to the next level and I want to know how you feel about it."

Sakura's head spun. "Um, what do you mean by _the next level _exactly?"

"I would very much like to court you, Sakura Haruno."

Sakura swallowed deeply at his unexpected words. Court? A courtship? Didn't that kind of mean he was interested in marrying her?

"I want you to know that you are under no obligation to consent if you do not feel it is right. It is a serious, long-term commitment."

"Yes…yes, I know." Sakura said slowly. She really could not sort the mess in her head out. There was too much to deal with. How could she enter a courtship with one guy when she was in love with another guy? Was that fair? "I think I'll have to think about it, Neji. It is pretty serious."

Neji nodded. "I know. Take as long as you like."

"Okay." Sakura smiled suddenly. "Well, that was unexpected!"

"But you were not disappointed?"

"Surprised, yes. Disappointed? Definitely not."

Neji looked relieved as he gave her a small half-smile. "I am glad. I find it harder and harder to read you, Sakura, for it seems my own feelings always get in the way."

Sakura laughed at his discomfort. "Well, then it looks like you'll just have to trust me, Neji. What's a relationship without trust?"

"What indeed."

They looked at each other for a few seconds before Neji spoke again. "I will transport us to your house now."

"Okay."

Neji pulled her forward and an instant later they were on the street in front of her house.

"Why are you stopping here?"

"I do not want Uchiha to watch us."

Sakura didn't understand. "Watch us do what?"

As a reply, Neji leaned forward and brought his lips against hers. Sakura's eyes flew open before they fluttered shut.

_Oh…_

When he pulled back, he traced her jaw with the back of his fingers.

"What…what was that for?"

Neji smirked. "Something to remember me by."

"Oh…okay. Goodnight then."

"Goodnight, Sakura." He said before she stumbled towards the door. She fumbled with her keys, trying to unlock it, before it was opened for her.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. "What's wrong with you?"

It took Sakura a few seconds to reply. "Oh…um…nothing!" She said before she ducked under his arm and went to her bedroom.

She went through the motions of changing into her pajamas, washing her face, and brushing her teeth without really noticing. Her mind was far too occupied.

She wandered aimlessly into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. She forgot to drink it and wandered over to the couch, sitting down next to Sasuke. He barely looked at her and continued to focus on whatever was playing on the TV.

_Oh Kami, what am I supposed to do?_

**Good question. I know. Kiss Sasuke.**

_No, that's stupid. _

**Why?**

_Because Neji just asked to court me, of course! I can't just go kissing another guy after he asked me that!_

**Why not?**

_Because it's wrong! _

**So what are you going to do about Neji?**

She didn't know how to answer him. Was it right for her to say yes when she was in love with Sasuke? Surely it wasn't. Neji deserved better than that. She couldn't use him because she wanted to get over Sasuke.

But on the other hand, he said he understood how she felt about Sasuke and was willing to give it a shot. He would have known what he could be getting into if he asked her that question and yet he asked anyway. He was prepared for whatever crap that came along with it. And Sasuke was only in her house for about five and a half months. Once that was over, she could avoid him and be happy with Neji, right? And besides, Sasuke didn't want anything to do with her, especially in that way. Why should she be prevented from a chance at being happy because she happened to be in love with him?

That settled it.

"I'm going to do it!" She exclaimed as she stood up and walked for the door, forgetting she was still in her pajamas.

Sasuke stood up and followed her. "You're going to do what?"

Sakura put her hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath. "I'm going to tell Neji that I'm going to court him."

"Like hell you are!" Sasuke growled before he grabbed her wrist harshly and pulled her to him, kissing her wildly.

Sakura gasped at the feelings that assaulted her as he pushed her back against the door and took hold of her mouth with his own.

She couldn't think past his lips on hers, his tongue on hers, his body pressed up against hers. She felt like she was going to explode.

She ran her hands through his hair as he picked her up by her thighs and carried her over to the counter, never breaking their kiss. He kissed her neck as he unbuttoned her pajama top, throwing it carelessly to the side. As he continued to kiss down her neck to her collarbone, Sakura ran her hands up his toned stomach under his shirt, pulling it up with her. Understanding what she wanted, Sasuke pulled away long enough to pull it off and throw it to the ground before he pulled her to him again and continue to assault her mouth in the best possible way.

Down Sakura moaned as she felt her bare skin on his. She didn't know anything could ever feel this good. It was almost too much. Wanting to taste more of him, Sakura kissed his neck, extracting a groan from him as he picked her up again, this time taking her to the couch. In the back of her mind, Sakura realized where they were going and what this was leading up to, but couldn't think past the sensation of his body pressed intimately against hers.

He settled his glorious weight on her as he kissed down her neck to her collarbone once again. Sakura didn't even know what he was doing, all she knew was that it felt damn good and she didn't want it to stop. She ran her hands down his muscular back, enjoying the way his muscles bunched together and flexed underneath them. His hand ran up her outer thigh, pushing up her pajama shorts as high as they could go, revealing her creamy, white skin.

When Sakura felt his arousal against her stomach she was shocked into reality.

"Sasuke, stop!" She whispered urgently as she pushed at his bare chest.

He kissed her and she couldn't help but respond. "Are you sure you want me to?" He said hoarsely.

"No…I mean, yes."

Sasuke smirked before he kissed her on the sensitive patch behind her ear, causing her to squeak. "Convince me."

_Oh man…_

"Um…" Sakura mused as he kissed down her neck. Damn, she couldn't think when he was doing that!

"Stop! I can't concentrate!"

He laughed against her skin. "That's the idea."

_Kami, he's _way_ too sexy when he's like this!_

But then the words popped into her head. "What do I mean to you?"

"What?" Sasuke asked as he propped himself up with his forearms on either side of her head.

Sakura almost passed out at the sight of him there, his lips kiss-swollen, his hair tousled in the most adorable way. She loved seeing him completely abandon his control after he had such a tight rein on it all the time.

_Definitely way too sexy…_

"What do I mean to you?" She repeated after a few seconds of staring at him.

Sasuke stared at her for a couple of seconds before he sat up and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. Sakura drew her legs from under him and covered her bare torso with a pillow.

_Holy crap! I'm only in a bra!_

**At least it's a sexy bra. **

_Concentrate!_

"So?"

He looked at her, charcoal eyes boring into her green depths. "Sakura, you mean too much to me."

Sakura blinked. "Um…so that's a bad thing?"

She sure didn't think it was. In fact, she felt like jumping on him at that very moment and kissing him senseless, but he didn't seem to be in the mood anymore.

"Yes, it is. I can't have any weaknesses, Sakura, and right now you're my biggest."

Tears formed in Sakura's eyes. "Why not? Weaknesses make us human."

Sasuke shook his head as he looked down. "I just…can't."

The tears were threatening to fall. "So, what? You can just kiss me but you can't commit to me? How is that fair, Sasuke? You can't keep playing with my heart like that."

"I know and I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Then why did it happen?"

He clenched and unclenched his hands on his thighs. "Because when you said you were going to court Neji…I…I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand the thought of you belonging to someone else."

Part of her was flattered by his jealousy, the other part was just angry. "Well, I don't see the point in saying no if you're not planning to do anything with me."

Sasuke looked at her sharply. "You can't." He said harshly.

"Why not?" She retorted just as harshly.

"Because…"

"Because what, Sasuke? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't."

He shut his eyes and looked away. "Because I love you."

A tear trickled down Sakura's face as time seemed to freeze. She'd been waiting all her life to hear those words and it felt like a big chuck that had been missing in her life had just returned to her.

"You…you _love_ me?" Sakura could barely talk past the emotion welling up in her throat.

Sasuke still wouldn't look at her. "Yes, I do. I never meant for it to happen but it did anyway and it won't go away no matter how hard I try to make it."

Sakura understood that one. "So what now, Sasuke? What are you planning to do about it?" She whispered.

Sasuke laughed dryly. "What_can _I do about it?" He looked back at Sakura, his gaze was hard. "I can't be with you, Sakura."

"Why not?" Sakura voice broke as she wiped away the tears streaming down her face. "Why are you so afraid to love me?"

Sasuke closed his eyes. "It's because I love you that I can't be with you. You deserve better."

Sakura leaned forward and put her hand over Sasuke's, ignoring her less than modest state. He looked down at it, but didn't remove it. "I don't want anyone else, Sasuke! Why can't you get that?"

His faced was pained as he looked at Sakura. "The answer is no, Sakura. Just go off with Neji. You two will be happy with each other. I may _love_ you, but I don't _want_ you." He withdrew his hand and looked away.

Sakura shut her eyes as the pain assaulted her. She couldn't move from the intensity of it.

_Fine. If he wants me to go with Neji, I'll go with Neji._

Sakura took in a few deep breaths. "Fine. Tomorrow I'll tell Neji I accept his offer. I hope you're happy now."

---

Sasuke wasn't happy. He put his hands over his face as he heard Sakura's sobs from the other room. It was times like these that he wished he didn't have such advanced hearing. Every sob was like a kunai in his chest.

He couldn't believe he'd just told her to go with Neji. At that very moment he wanted to rip Neji's throat out. But if he couldn't be with Sakura, what right did he have to prevent her from other relationships?

And he couldn't be with Sakura. He just couldn't. If he entered into a relationship with her she'd expect things that he couldn't give. He couldn't open himself up to her. To do that he'd have to trust her, but he didn't trust anyone. What was a relationship without trust? There was no relationship. And how could he burden her with the horrors of his life? She was too sweet and innocent, untainted by life's hardship. He was the one black spot in her life. That black spot would take over her whole life if she gave it to him. He couldn't do that to her. She'd be better off with Neji.

"_I don't want anyone else, Sasuke! Why can't you get that?"_

He winced as her words came back to him. She didn't know what she was talking about. She'd forget him in time. She had to.

---

Sakura yawned and rubbed her eyes as she made her way to the Hyuuga mansion. The sooner she got this over and done with the sooner she could forget about Sasuke.

**You're making a big mistake.**

_Shut up. I already know that. I just don't care anymore, okay?_

She was doing what Sasuke wanted. She was getting out of his life.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?"

She looked up to find none other than Neji walking towards her. "Oh, hi, Neji! I came to talk to you!"

He frowned in concern as he neared her. "You look tired."

"I am tired. I was up all night thinking about what you asked me, and I've decided. I accept your offer."

Neji smiled sadly as he regarded her. That wasn't exactly the reaction she'd been expected. It was sort of more along the lines of "Hurray! Now let's go get married!" or something like that.

"Well, I've been up all night thinking as well, Sakura."

"Oh?"

"Yes. And I have decided that it is not in _your_best interest to continue this relationship."

Sakura gaped at him. "What? Why?"

"Because I would love to be selfish and keep you to myself, but I find I cannot allow you to let me."

"I don't understand."

Neji smiled softly. "You love Sasuke, Sakura, and we both know that's never going to change. I don't want to see you throw away your chances with him because he's stubborn."

Tears filled Sakura's eyes. "But he doesn't _want_me."

"Yes he does, he just doesn't want to admit it."

"He never will."

Neji shook his head. "What happened to you, Sakura?"

"What?"

"I once knew this girl who stopped at nothing to get what she wanted. This girl was full of hope and love and worked hard to get what she wanted. This girl never let a stubborn boy get the best of her and she kept pounding on his door until he let her in. I just want to know what happened to her."

Sakura blinked back her tears and looked away. "She died a long time ago. It was tragic, really. It all happened when that boy broke her heart. It broke her."

Neji shook his head as he walked up to her. He took her hand in his and placed it over her heart. "As long as this heart still beats this girl still lives. You just have to let her show her face around here again, Sakura."

"But it's hard…"

"Since when was that ever an excuse? The Sakura I know and admire wouldn't let a trivial little thing like pain stand in the way of what she really wants." He dropped his hand. "Think about it, because you'll never be happy unless you don't give up and keep at it until he gives in and realizes that you're here to stay."

"It sounds so simple, but it's not."

Neji shook his head again. "It's only complicated because you're making it complicated. You love Sasuke. He loves you. What more do you need, Sakura?"

"Security."

"Let your love be your security. If that's not enough you don't have a chance. Get past your inhibitions and let yourself be happy. It may take a bit of hard work, but it'll happen. And even if it doesn't, isn't it worth a try? Don't you both deserve as much?"

Sakura laughed bleakly through her tears. "Well, I suppose I don't have much to lose."

Neji smiled and gently wiped the tears from her face. "Now dry your eyes and get your guy."

---

Sasuke was supposed to train with Naruto that afternoon, but he really didn't feel like it. All he felt like doing was sulking. It was immature, but he couldn't muster enough energy to care. He was miserable. Sakura was probably going to end up marrying some other guy. Neji.

_Ugh._

Weddings made him sick. Well, the thought of that wedding did anyway. And if they got married, the wedding night followed. He didn't even want to go there.

_Why am I letting her go to him again?_

He suddenly wished he hadn't gotten rid of all that sake. It could really come in handy at a time like this.

_Is this what I'm going to be reduced to? A sulking shell of a man pining over the loss of a love he couldn't have?_

But he could have had it. Hadn't Sakura said as much? It was too late now at any rate. She was probably in Neji's arms at this very moment. He didn't want to think about that either. They didn't make such a great couple anyway. Neji looked like too much of a girl himself.

_Sakura Hyuuga._

That didn't work. Not at all. It sounded stupid. Sakura Uchiha sounded much better, but he wasn't even going to go there.

Naruto barged through the door, interrupting his self-pitying thoughts.

"Oi, bastard! Ready to train?"

Sasuke looked at him then looked back at the TV. "Piss off."

Naruto glared at him. "What's up your ass?"

Sasuke glared back. "Does it matter?"

"It does if it means you're not going to train with me! I have a new technique I want to try out on you!"

"I have a new technique I'll try on you if you don't piss off. It's called the Chidori. Ever heard of it?"

Naruto walked over to him and bent down, studying his face carefully. "I know what's wrong with you. It's Sakura, isn't it?"

"Again, does it matter?"

"I know! You're angry because she's off with Neji! Well, that's your fault, bastard! She would have come running into your arms if you let her, you know. I swear I'll never get what she sees in you."

"She sees a brain."

"Well, apparently you don't have one anymore because you're just letting her go off with Neji! Are you sure there's something in there?"

"I didn't let her go to him, dobe, I told her to."

"Wow! Then you're even more stupid than I thought!"

"Shut up, dobe."

"I'll shut up when you stop being such a dumbass! Don't you know that Sakura can't be happy without you? Man, for someone who has the Sharingan, you sure are blind!"

"Go away."

But Naruto ignored him. "What are you? Some kind of masochist? Do you _want_ to be miserable for the rest of your life? You got some problem with being happy?"

"You're just saying that because you're getting married. You want everyone to be happy."

"Damn straight! And if you're not careful Sakura's going to marry Neji eventually! And you know what happens when you get married, don't you?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Of course I do. I'm not five."

Naruto poked him in the side of the head before Sasuke pushed him away. "Well, you sure are acting like you are. But I guess that's your problem. You're going to be the one sitting at home alone while Neji and Sakura get busy, if you know what I mean."

Sasuke fought the urge to break something, like Naruto's neck. "_Shut up, dobe."_

"Or what? You're going to fight me? Please, don't waste my time! I don't want to fight someone who's not man enough to keep his girl."

Sasuke glared daggers. "I told you, I told her to go to him."

"And I told you, you're stupid."

"You don't understand. I can't subject her to a life with me. Could she even handle knowing what I've been through?"

"Don't you know? She already knows all about that. When you were under the influence of Itachi's chakra that time, she said she hugged you and when she blacked out she had all these flashbacks from _your_life and she said she felt all _your_emotions. Why else do you think she's been so nice to you? Why else do you think she told me to be nice to you? Like I said, you're the one who's stupid. Sakura can handle a lot more than you give her credit for, and her life will be even worse if you're not in it."

All Sasuke could do was stare at Naruto. "She…_knows_?" But as he said it his mind was whirling, thinking back to the times when she'd winced suddenly and had a complete attitude adjustment afterwards. Was that because she was remembering something that she'd seen when she was unconscious?

He thought he would have been angry at the fact that someone else had seen into that private part of him, but surprisingly all he felt was…relief. He didn't feel so alone anymore. And he didn't know how to deal with this surprising change.

"Well, I'm going to go train with a _real_ man, you know, one who can actually hold on to his woman. See ya, bastard."

Sasuke barely registered his words.

---

Sasuke was still sitting on the couch in a daze when Sakura came home. He looked at her smiling face when she entered the room and felt like he was going to break into two. Naruto was right. He was stupid. And now it was too late.

"Hi, Sasuke!" She said happily. Sasuke swallowed down his anger. No doubt she was happy because her future with Neji was set.

"How was your day?" She asked in the same happy voice.

_It was the worst day of my damn life._

"Fine."

She smiled at him. "Good to know."

"Yeah…"

Man, this mood was really annoying him. Shouldn't she be meaner to him after what he's said to her last night, or was she just trying to rub her 'Neji bliss' in his face?

"Are you hungry?"

_Yes._

"No."

She looked at him from the counter. "You sure?"

"Um…yes." He got up and walked over to the kitchen. "Sakura?"

She turned around and smiled at him. It almost undid him. "Yes, Sasuke?"

"I…I'm sorry for what I said to you last night." He didn't know why he felt the need to apologize. He just did.

He swore her faced glowed at his words. Her smile widened as she went up on her toes and kissed him. He barely had time to react as his head swam.

"It's okay." She whispered before she returned to cutting the lettuce.

Sasuke stood there for a few moments, trying to figure out what just happened. "Um…Sakura?"

"Yes, Sasuke?"

"Why did you kiss me?"

She shrugged as she turned around and leaned on the bench behind her. "I wanted to."

"What about Neji?"

"What about him?"

Sasuke shut his eyes and opened them again, trying to see through his confusion. "But I thought you were going to…"

"No, I decided I didn't want to."

"You don't…want to."

Sakura smiled again. "That's right."

And because he couldn't help it, Sasuke kissed her. At first she responded, melting into his arms, before she pulled back.

"Remember what I said about that." She whispered.

Sasuke inhaled deeply and stepped back, trying to control himself. He was just too damn…relieved that she wasn't with Neji and she just looked so damn _good_.

"So anyway, I decided that there was no point in going off with Neji if I was still in love with you." She said it as though it were the most natural thing in the world, not like this was the most nerve-wracking, important moment of his life. "And I thought to myself: _Why am I letting Sasuke get away__with treating me like this? If he loves me, he's damn well going to learn how to do it properly_. So you see, Sasuke, it'll take more than a few harsh words to keep me away." She grinned mischievously. "So get used to it."

Sasuke heart pounded ferociously in his chest as he regarded her calm expression. He stared at her for a few solid seconds before replying.

"Whatever. I don't care."

**Finis.**

---

**Epilogue**

_Three months later…_

Sasuke gasped for air as he grabbed the sheets that covered him in panic. He looked frantically to his left. The bed was empty.

He threw the sheets off, jumped out of the bed, and turned the lights on. The bathroom was empty as well.

_Where is she?_

He looked around and noticed the spots of blood on the doorframe.

_No…_

"Sakura?"

He walked outside and felt his heart stop when he saw Sakura standing by the counter drinking a glass of water.

She smiled at him. "Oh…sorry, I was just thirsty." She noticed his expression. "What happened? Are you okay?"

He walked over to her, pulled her into his arms and kissed her until viciously she was gasping for air.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?"

He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. "I dreamed someone had taken you…and then I woke up and you weren't in bed and then I saw the blood on the doorframe…and…" His voice broke off and he hugged her tighter.

Sakura's arms went around him. "I'm sorry; I scraped my arm on the door on the way out. I didn't turn the lights on in case I woke you up. I healed it, though."

He pulled back to look at her, cupping her face with one hand. He stroked her cheek. "I thought I lost you."

Tears filled Sakura's eyes before she blinked them back. "You'll never lose me." She said before he lowered his head and kissed her again.


End file.
